THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


OLD    SAILOR'S    YARNS 


N.     AMES. 

AUTHOR  OF  "  MARINER'S  SKETCHES, 
&c.  &c.  &c. 


NEW    YORK: 

GEORGE  DEARBORN,  38  GOLD  STREET. 


M  DCCC  XXXV. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1835,  by  GIORGK 
DIARBORK,  in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


WILLIAM  VAN  HORDKN,  PRINT. 


1039 


CONTENTS. 


MARY  BOWLINE     .         .         .-  jg 

OLD  CUFF           ....  53 

RIVALS  70 

*  •                   •                    I  O 

MORTON               •*....  95 

PIRATE  OF  MASAFUERO           .         .  339 


112789  l*f 


PREFACE. 


MR.  BUCKINGHAM,  noticing  the  "Nautical  Remi- 
niscences "  in  the  New  England  Magazine,  says, 
no  author  ever  stopped  at  the  second  book ;  and 
he  very  gravely  proceeds  to  recommend  that  my 
number  three  should  savor  more  of  the  style  of 
Goldsmith  or  Washington  Irving.  I  should  have 
no  objection  whatever  to  writing  like  either  of 
these  distinguished  authors,  if  I  could ;  but  as 
the  case  is,  I  must  be  content  to  write  as  well  as  I 
can.  The  whole  article  in  Mr.  B's  magazine  bore 
no  faint  resemblance  to  a  dose  of  calomel  and 
jalap,  administered  in  a  table-spoonful  of  molasses, 
in  which  the  sweet  and  the  nauseous  are  so 
equally  balanced,  that  the  patient  is  in  doubt 
whether  to  spit  or  to  swallow.  I  was,  however, 
exceedingly  flattered  with  the  notice  bestowed 


Ti  PREFACE. 

upon  me  by  this  literary  cynic,  as  he  was  never 
before  known  to  speak  well,  even  moderately,  of 
any  author,  except  natives  of  Boston,  or  profes- 
sors in  Harvard  University. 

"Morton"  is  founded  upon  an  old  tradition, 
now  forgotten,  but  well  known  when  I  first  went 
to  sea,  of  the  exploits  of  some  of  our  adventurous 
and  somewhat  lawless  traders  in  the  Pacific.  A 
number  of  the  crew  of  one  of  these  smuggling 
vessels  were  taken  in  the  act,  and,  after  a  hasty 
trial,  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  mines.  The  route 
to  their  place  of  condemnation  and  hopeless  con- 
finement lay  near  the  coast.  A  large  party  of 
seamen  landed  from  two  or  three  ships  that  were 
in  the  neighborhood,  waylaid  the  military  escort, 
knocked  most  of  them  on  the  head,  rescued  the 
prisoners,  and  got  safe  off  without  loss.  The 
story  says  nothing  of  female  influence  or  assist- 
ance, but  knowing  it  to  be  morally  impossible  to 
get  through  a  story  without  the  assistance  of  a 
lady,  I  pressed  one  into  the  service,  and  took  other 
liberties  with  the  original,  till  it  became  what  per- 
adventure  the  reader  will  find  it.  Many  stories 


PREFACE.  Tii 

are  told  of  the  skirmishes,  or  as  sailors  call  them, 
" scrammidges,"  between  our  "free-traders"  and 
the  guarda-costas  in  different  parts  of  the  Pacific. 

In  particular,  the  ship  D ,  of  Boston,  is  said  to 

have  had  a  "  regular-built  fight "  with  a  guarda- 
costa  of  forty-four  guns,  that  retired  from  the  ac- 
tion so  miserably  mauled,  that  it  is  doubtful  to  this 
day  whether  she  ever  found  her  way  back  into 
port.  An  old  sea-dog  who  was  on  board  the 

D ,  furnished  me  with  many  details  of  the 

proceedings  of  our  merchantmen  on  the  coasts  of 
California,  and  Mexico,  some  thirty  years  since, 
but  most  of  them  have  escaped  my  memory. 

I  have  inadvertently,  in  one  or  two  instances, 
called  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico,  South  Americans. 
The  fact  is,  there  is  scarcely  a  perceptible  shade 
of  difference  in  manners  between  the  Chilians, 
Peruvians,  and  Mexicans  ;  there  is  none  in  their 
language,  dress,  or  religion  ;  and  sailors,  who  pay 
but  little  regard  to  arbitrary  divisions  of  continents, 
are  in  the  habit  of  calling  all  the  quondam  posses- 
sions of  his  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  that  border 
upon  the  Pacific,  by  the  general  name  of  South 


viii  PREFACE. 

America,  upon  the  same  principle,  I  presume,  that 
they  call  the  whole  of  that  ocean  the  "  South 
Sea,"  though  they  may  be  at  that  very  moment 
anchored  in  Sitka,  or  cruizing  in  the  chops  of 
Behring's  Straits. 

"  The  Rivals,"  is  built  upon  a  strange  story  that 
was  quite  current  among  our  men-of-war's-men 
some  years  ago,  but  I  am  unable  to  give  any  fur- 
ther account  of  the  hero  of  their  story  than  the 
reader  will  find  in  the  conclusion  of  mine.  There 
seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  stranger  was  obliged 
to  fly  on  account  of  a  fatal  duel ;  and  sailors,  who 
cannot  conceive  of  a  duel  between  two  gentlemen, 
as  they  somewhat  ironically  call  them,  unless 
there  is  a  woman  in  the  case,  have  accordingly 
attached  one  to  the  quarrel  that  compelled  the 
unfortunate  officer  to  take  shelter  on  board  an 
American  national  vessel. 

"  Old  Cuff"  is  a  sketch  from  real  life.  He  was 
a  petty  officer  in  the  service  at  the  same  time  with 
me,  and  notwithstanding  his  rambling  life,  was  a 
man  of  good  education  and  strong  mind.  His  life 
was  a  striking  illustration  of  the  truth  of  the  pro- 


PREFACE.  ix 

position  that  "there  is  no  romance  like  the  ro- 
mance of  real  life."  He  proposed  to  me  to  take 
minutes  of  his  adventures,  which  were  extremely 
interesting,  but  before  I  could  commence  opera- 
tions I  was  myself  made  a  petty  officer,  and  re- 
moved to  a  station  in  a  part  of  the  ship  where  I 
but  seldom  saw  him,  and  the  ship  was  soon  after 
ordered  home. 

The  reader  need  be  neither  a  wizard  nor  a 
witch  to  perceive  that  "  Mary  Bowline"  is  a  crea- 
tion of  my  own  brain,  and  is  of  course  defective, 
and  will  disappoint.  But  if  it  is  true  that 
"  Bacon,  Butler,  and  Shakspeare  have  rendered  it 
impossible  for  any  one  after  them  to  be  profound, 
witty,  or  sublime,"  it  is  equally  true  that  Scott, 
Irving,  and  others  have  rendered  it  impossible  for 
any  one  to  be  equally  entertaining,  interesting,  or 
amusing.  I  hold,  however,  to  another  maxim, 
that  "he  is  a  benefactor  to  mankind  who  fur- 
nishes them  with  innocent  materials  for  laughter 
and  delight,"  a  maxim  that  did  not  come  exactly 
"  ex  cathedra,"  but  is  full  as  profound,  and  correct. 
If  I  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  contribute  to,  or 


PREFACE. 


America,  upon  the  same  principle,  I  presume,  that 
they  call  the  whole  of  that  ocean  the  "  South. 
Sea,"  though  they  may  be  at  that  very  moment 
anchored  in  Sitka,  or  cruizing  in  the  chops  of 
Behring's  Straits. 

"  The  Rivals,"  is  built  upon  a  strange  story  that 
was  quite  current  among  our  men-of-war's-men 
some  years  ago,  but  I  am  unable  to  give  any  fur- 
ther account  of  the  hero  of  their  story  than  the 
reader  will  find  in  the  conclusion  of  mine.  There 
seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  stranger  was  obliged 
to  fly  on  account  of  a  fatal  duel ;  and  sailors,  who 
cannot  conceive  of  a  duel  between  two  gentlemen, 
as  they  somewhat  ironically  call  them,  unless 
there  is  a  woman  in  the  case,  have  accordingly 
attached  one  to  the  quarrel  that  compelled  the 
unfortunate  officer  to  take  shelter  on  board  an 
American  national  vessel. 

"  Old  Cuff"  is  a  sketch  from  real  life.  He  was 
a  petty  officer  in  the  service  at  the  same  time  with 
me,  and  notwithstanding  his  rambling  life,  was  a 
man  of  good  education  and  strong  mind.  His  life 
was  a  striking  illustration  of  the  truth  of  the  pro- 


PREFACE.  ix 

position  that  "there  is  no  romance  like  the  ro- 
mance of  real  life."  He  proposed  to  me  to  take 
minutes  of  his  adventures,  which  were  extremely 
interesting,  but  before  I  could  commence  opera- 
tions I  was  myself  made  a  petty  officer,  and  re- 
moved to  a  station  in  a  part  of  the  ship  where  I 
but  seldom  saw  him,  and  the  ship  was  soon  after 
ordered  home. 

The  reader  need  be  neither  a  wizard  nor  a 
witch  to  perceive  that  "  Mary  Bowline"  is  a  crea- 
tion of  my  own  brain,  and  is  of  course  defective, 
and  will  disappoint.  But  if  it  is  true  that 
"  Bacon,  Butler,  and  Shakspeare  have  rendered  it 
impossible  for  any  one  after  them  to  be  profound, 
witty,  or  sublime,"  it  is  equally  true  that  Scott, 
Irving,  and  others  have  rendered  it  impossible  for 
any  one  to  be  equally  entertaining,  interesting,  or 
amusing.  I  hold,  however,  to  another  maxim, 
that  "he  is  a  benefactor  to  mankind  who  fur- 
nishes them  with  innocent  materials  for  laughter 
and  delight,"  a  maxim  that  did  not  come  exactly 
"  ex  cathedra,"  but  is  full  as  profound,  and  correct. 

If  I  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  contribute  to,  or 
i* 


x  PREFACE. 

become  the  cause  of  innocent  delight,  I  shall  think 
that  the  "  Forecastle  Yarns"  have  not  been  written 
in  vain. 

It  was  objected  to  my  two  former  works  that 
they  contained  strictures,  and  remarks,  upon  what 
are  commonly  called  orthodox  principles.  In  the 
present  volume,  I  have  studiously  endeavored  to 
steer  my  footsteps  clear  of  the  tender  toes  of  every 
religious  sect  except  the  Catholics ;  whom,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  Protestant  clergy  and  laity  all  around 
me,  I  have  handled  without  mittens  whenever  I 
could  get  a  chance. 

I  cannot  close  without  repeating  that  if  I  have 
succeeded  in  helping  to  make 

"  The  wheels  of  life  gae  down  hill  scrievin', 
W?  rattlin'  glee,"— 

I  shall  feel  more  gratified  than  if  I  had  squared 
the  circle,  or  drawn  up  a  tariff  that,  like  Shak- 
speare's  barber's  chair,  should  fit  all  parties. 

N.  A. 

Providence,  October  I,  1833. 


PREFACE. 


P.  S.  More  than  a  year  ago  the  following  pages 
were  written  and  prepared  for  the  press,  under 
the  title  of  "  Forecastle  Yarns,"  but  a  gentleman 
connected  with  the  New  York  Mirror  took  a  fancy 
to  that  title,  and  immediately  appropriated  it  to 
himself  with  the  most  genteel  indiiference  as  to 
the  prior  right  of  another.  In  consequence,  I 
have  been  obliged  to  adopt  a  new  name.  The 
"  Pirate  of  Masafuero"  was  written  after  the  above 
preface  was  prepared.  "Old  Cuff"  has  already 
been  before  the  public  in  the  columns  of  the  first 
and  only  number  of  a  new  magazine*  that  expired 
for  want  of  patronage,  and  support,  having  just 
survived  long  enough  to  give  ample  proofs  that  it 
deserved  the  patronage,  and  support,  that  were 
denied  it.  The  very  favorable  notice  that  the 
Evening  Star  took  of  "  Old  Cuff,"  is  proof  posi- 
tive that  it  is  much  higher  than  "fair  to  mid- 
dling ;"  and  if  it  is  true  that  "  the  proof  of  the 
pudding  is  eating  the  bag,"  (and  the  reader  will 

*  American  Spectator  and  National  Magazine. 


xii  PREFACE. 

consider  "  Old  Cuff"  as  the  bag,)  I  think  it  follows 
that  the  pudding  now  set  before  him  cannot  be  a 
bad  one. 

Abvcmber,  1834. 


MARY    BOWLINE. 


MARY     BOWLINE. 


CHAPTER     I. 

41  Nautaeque,  per  omne 

Audaces  mare  qui  currant,  hac  mcnte  laborum 
Sese  ferre,  scnes  ut  in  otia  tuta  recedunt, 

Aiunt."  HORACI. 

CAPTAIN  ROBERT  BOWLINE,  a  retired  sea-cap- 
tain, occupied  a  snug  little  farm  in  the  town  ot 

B ,  one  of  the  many  pleasant  villages  on  the 

coast  of  New  England.  He  had  followed  the  sea 
for  many  years,  acquired  considerable  property, 
married,  and  had  a  family.  When  he  had  at- 
tained his  forty-fifth  year,  a  relation  of  his  wife 
died,  leaving  her  heiress  to  a  very  handsome 
estate,  part  of  which  was  the  farm  aforesaid.  In 
consequence  of  this  event  he  was  easily  persuaded 
by  his  wife,  whom  he  tenderly  loved,  to  retire  to 
private  life,  and  leave  the  "vexed  ocean"  to  be 
ploughed  by  those  who  had  their  fortunes  to 
make.  They  retired  to  their  farm,  when  the  first 
act  of  the  old  Triton  was  to  pull  down  the  antique 
house  that  had  been  erected  "  about  the  time  of 
the  old  French  war,"  and  build  another  more 


16  MARY     B'OWL  INK. 

"  ship-shape,"  and  congenial  to  the  taste  of  a 
sailor.  The  dwelling  itself  was  not,  indeed,  ex- 
ternally different  from  any  other  of  the  snug-look- 
ing and  rather  handsome  two-story  houses  of  sub- 
stantial farmers,  &c.  in  New  England  ;  but  its 
internal  economy  was  somewhat  nautical,  con- 
taining numerous  "lockers"  and  "store-rooms." 
Its  front  gate-posts  were  composed  of  the  two 
jaw-bones  of  an  enormous  whale ;  the  fence  was 
of  a  most  fanciful  Chinese  pattern ;  and  directly 
in  front  of  the  house  was  erected  that  never-fail- 
ing ornament  of  a  sailor's  dwelling,  a  tall  flag- 
staff, with  cap,  cross-trees,  and  topmast,  complete ; 
the  last,  always  being  kept  "  housed,"  except  upon 
the  4th  of  July,  22d  of  February,  &c.  At  the 
foot  of  the  flag-staff,  "  hushed  in  grim  repose,"  was 
an  iron  six-pounder,  mounted  upon  a  ship  gun- 
carriage,  ready  for  service,  whenever  any  national 
holyday  required  its  voice.  The  house  fronted 
the  sea;  a  most  superb  view  of  which  it  com- 
manded, but  was  at  the  same  time  screened  from 
its  storms  in  great  measure  by  being  flanked  by 
noble  old  elms,  and  a  fine  orchard,  which  almost 
entirely  surrounded  it;  while  in  the  rear  the 
ground  swelled  into  a  thickly  wooded  hill  of 
moderate  height.  The  ground  in  front  sloped 
gently  down  to  the  water's  edge,  at  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile  from  the  house,  but  to  the  left 
gradually  rose  into  a  high  point,  or  headland, 
terminating  in  a  rocky  cliff  that  strode  far  out 
into  the  sea,  and  formed  the  harbor. 


MARY     BOWLINE.  17 

The  family  of  the  old  seaman,  at  the  time  he 
took  possession  of  his  "  shore  quarters,"  consisted 
of  himself,  wife,  and  daughter  Mary — the  rest  of 
his  children  having  died  young.  As  we  have  no 
particular  concern  with  the  events  of  his  life  from 
that  period  to  Mary's  twenty-first  year,  we  shall 
only  observe  that  during  that  time  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  his  wife. 

Mary  Bowline  was  a  young  lady,  confessedly  of 

the  greatest  beauty  in  the  little  town  of  B , 

and  for  many  miles  round ;  a  trifle  above  the  mid- 
dle stature,  sufficiently  so  to  relieve  her  figure 
from  the  imputation  of  shortness ;  or,  as  she  was 
a  little  inclined  to  be  "fleshy,"  or  "embonpoint," 
as  our  refined  authors  call  it,  from  what  is  some- 
times called  "  stubbidness ;"  her  eyes  were  of  deep 
celestial  blue ;  her  hair,  a  dark  brown,  and  her 
complexion,  notwithstanding  her  continual  ram- 
bles along  the  beach  in  her  girlish  days,  of  exqui- 
site purity.  Her  education,  I  grieve  to  say,  had 
been  most  shamefully  neglected ;  her  mother, 
though  a  most  exemplary  woman,  both  as  a 
Christian  and  a  member  of  society,  had  never 
tied  her  up  in  a  fashionable  corset  to  improve  her 
figure,  nor  sent  her  to  a  fashionable  boarding 
school  to  improve  her  mind  ;  the  consequence 
was  that  she  knew  nothing  of  the  piano, — Virgil 
seems  to  have  had  the  gift  of  prophecy  with  re- 
gard to  this  part  of  modern  education,  when  he 
said  or  sang, 

"  Stridente  stipula  miserum  disperdere  carmen," — 


18  MARY     BOWLINE. 

and  was  equally  ignorant  of  that  sublime  and 
useful  art,  working  lace ;  she  had  no  farther  idea 
of  dancing  than  had  been  beat  into  her  head,  or 
rather  heels,  by  the  saltatory  instructions  of  an 
itinerant  dancing-master — I  ask  pardon,  "  pro- 
fessor"— who,  with  a  bandy-legged  dog  at  his 
heels,  and  a  green  baize  bag  under  his  arm,  paid 
an  annual  visit  to  the  town,  to  instruct  its  The- 
tises  in  the  "  poetry  of  motion ;"  an  apt  illustra- 
tion of  the 

"Bacchum  in  remotis"  choreas  "rupibus 
Vidi  docentera 
Nymphasque  discentes," 

of  Horace,  with  the  alteration  of  a  word ;  said 
fiddler  having  "  forsworn  thin  potations "  very 
soon  after  the  commencement  of  his  capering 
career.  In  the  "  serene  and  silent  art "  she  was, 
however,  truly  fortunate ;  the  clergyman  of  the 
place,  a  most  amiable  and  intelligent  man,  and,  to 
the  credit  of  his  amphibious  parishioners,  loved 
and  esteemed  with  the  utmost  fervor  and  unani- 
mity, added  to  his  other  accomplishments  no 
mean  skill  as  a  draughtsman ;  an  art,  that  he  had 
full  leisure  to  practise  ;  one  of  his  parochial  duties, 
that  of  visiting  the  sick,  being  a  mere  shadow ; 
for  your  fisherman,  with  his  \\ife  and  his  little 
ones,  is  but  seldom  on  the  doctor's  list,  and  when 
he  "files  off,"  generally  does  it  without  beat  of 
drum  or  flap  of  banner.  He  was  a  constant 
visiter  at  the  house  of  Captain  Bowline,  whither 


MARY     BOWLINE.  19 

he  was  attracted  by  the  fascination  of  the  sea- 
man's stories  of  foreign  parts.  Charmed  with  the 
dawning  beauty  of  the  lovely  little  Mary,  he  rea- 
dily undertook  to  give  her  better  instruction  than 
she  could  have  obtained  at  the  town  school,  to 
which  he  added  drawing.  Her  mother  had  am- 
ply instructed  her  in  the  more  useful  and  homely 
arts  of  cooking,  sewing,  knitting,  &c.  and  she 
had  even  taught  her  to  spin  ;  for  she  lived  before 
the  establishment  of  any,  or  many,  of  those  insti- 
tutions for  the  increase  of  illegitimate  children, 
ignorance,  immorality,  suicide,  seduction,  murder, 
&c. — I  mean  cotton  factories.  The  comparatively 
affluent  circumstances  of  her  family  had,  how- 
ever, rendered  it  unnecessary  for  her  to  practise 
this  last  accomplishment.  With  all  these  charms 
in  her  own  person,  and  right  in  her  father's  strong 
box,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  lovely 
Mary  Bowline  had  suitors  in  abundance  ;  but  the 
only  one  that  seemed  to  have  made  any  impression 
upon  her  light  heart,  was  a  young  seaman  by 
the  name  of  Kelson,  who  had  now  attained  his 
twenty-seventh  year. 

Thomas  Kelson  was  the  son  of  poor  parents, 
indeed  it  would  have  been  extremely  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  have  found  a  family  in  the 

whole  town  of  B that  could  be  called  wealthy. 

He  had  followed  the  sea  from  early  life,  and  had 
always  returned  home  during  the  intervals  of  his 
voyages,  at  which  times  he  had  improved  his 
education  under  the  instructions  of  the  clergyman 


80  MARYBOWLINE. 

aforesaid.  His  acquaintance  with  Mary  had 
passed  by  a  very  natural  transition  from  intimacy 
to  affection;  he  was  the  constant  companion  of 
her  rambles,  and  when  she  chose  an  aquatic  ex- 
cursion his  sail-boat  was  always  ready.  To  her 
father  his  company  was  always  acceptable;  the 
old  seaman  had  none  of  the  pride  of  "monied 
aristrocracy ;"  he  saw  no  harm  in  his  daughter 
placing  her  affections,  and  bestowing  her  hand  and 
fortune,  upon  a  young  man  who  was  fast  rising 
to  respectability  and  wealth,  in  precisely  the  same 
steps  by  which  he  had  himself  ascended,  com- 
mencing as  cabin-boy  and  ending  as  master  and 
part  owner  ;  he  lived  on  a  part  of  the  coast  that 
lay  entirely  out  of  the  track  of  "refinement,"  if 
indeed  she  had  then  begun  her  march. 

Accordingly  things  were  permitted  to  go  on  just 
as  though  consent  had  been  asked  and  obtained  ; 
the  young  couple  walked  together,  sat  together, 
and  Kelson  being  "  free  of  the  house,"  talked  to- 
gether upon  almost  every  subject  but  love.  Was 
there  to  be  a  fishing  or  sleighing  party,  or  an  ex- 
cursion into  the  neighboring  woods,  Tom  Kelson 
was  invariably  and  by  quiet  agreement  Mary 
Bowline's  escort ;  was  there  a  ball,  no  one,  "  lout- 
ing  low  with  cap  in  hand,"  solicited,  or  thought 
of  soliciting,  the  honor  of  her  company ;  that 
felicity  was  always  supposed  to  be  reserved  for 
Tom  Kelson  ;  still,  with  all  this  constant  and  close 
intimacy,  the  young  seaman  had  never  talked  of 
love,  never  offered  himself  as  a  husband,  and 


MARYBOWLINE.  81 

Mary,  the  gay  and  light-hearted  Mary,  had  never, 
as  the  New  England  saying  is,  "  thought  a  word 
about  it."  Had  Kelson  suddenly  presented  him- 
self to  her  with  "Mary,  shall  we  be  published 
next  Sunday  ?"  she  would  have  answered  u  Yes  ;" 
without  the  slightest  hesitation ;  nor  thought  her 
assent  worth  the  trouble  of  a  blush  or  a  simper ; 
and  such,  I  believe,  will  be  found  the  case  in  most 
of  our  country  courtships. 

Captain  Kelson,  for  he  had  attained  that  title 
some  time  previous,  had  been  on  terra  firma  some 
months  ;  partly  for  want  of  a  vessel,  but  chiefly  in 
compliance  with  the  earnest  entreaties  of  the 
lovely  Mary,  who  was  terrified  at  the  thought  of 
his  again  encountering  the  frightful  calamity  that 
had  so  nearly  proved  fatal  to  him  on  his  last 
voyage.  On  his  return  from  St.  Petersburg  with 
a  full  cargo,  he  had  experienced  a  tremendous 
gale  near  the  Grand  Banks,  during  which  his 
vessel  was  struck  by  lightning  and  consumed. 
After  undergoing  most  dreadful  sufferings  in  their 
boats,  the  exhausted  remnant  of  the  crew  were 
most  providentially  picked  up  and  brought  safe 
home.  In  consequence  of  losing  his  vessel,  the 
owners  had  received  him  with  coldness,  as  is  in- 
variably the  case,  as  though  a  deep  loaded  brig, 
lying-to  in  a  gale  of  wind,  could  dodge  a  flash  of 
lightning  !  I  have  known  many  a  good  seaman 
kept  "  lying  out"  of  a  vessel  for  months,  merely 
because  the  owners  had  thought  proper  to  send 
him  to  sea  in  a  craft  whose  bottom  had  "  dropped 

2* 


22  MARY     BOWLINE. 

out,"  as  the  sea  phrase  is,  as  soon  as  she  had 
encountered  bad  weather. 

Captain  Kelson  had  accordingly  remained  on 
shore  from  April,  till  September  ;  the  time  when 
we  have  thought  proper  to  commence  our  story  ; 
during  which  period  he  contrived  to  kill  time 
quite  agreeably  in  fishing,  shooting,  surveying  the 
harbor,  and  last  but  not  least,  in  paying  continual 
attention  to  the  fair  Mary.  He  had  one  day  made 
a  visit  to  Captain  Bowline's  house,  and  had  ac- 
companied him  in  a  ramble  over  part  of  his  farm. 
During  their  "  cruize,"  the  old  sailor  had  detailed 
his  plans  for  the  season,  and  gradually  extending 
his  views,  announced  certain  arrangements  and 
alterations  as  about  to  be  carried  into  execution 
"  when  Mary  gets  married."  When  Mary  gets 
married !  the  words  passed  like  the  shock  of  a 
galvanic  battery  through  the  mind  of  the  younger 
seaman ;  he  soon  took  leave,  and  as  he  strolled, 
unconscious  of  the  direction  his  feet  were  taking 
without  admitting  his  head  into  their  counsels, 
down  towards  the  narrow  strip  of  white  sand 
beach  at  the  foot  of  the  headland  already  men- 
tioned, her  father's  words,  the  last  that  he  dis- 
tinctly heard  or  recollected,  continued  to  sound  in 
his  ears — 

"  When  Mary  gets  married  !  well,  she  must  get 
married  some  time  or  other,  and  who  will  it  be  ?" 
he  said  to  himself,  suddenly  stopping  short.  "  She 
seems  to  prefer  me  at  present,  but  I  know  that 
when  I  am  at  sea  she  appears  to  favor  Sam  In- 


MARY     BOWLINE.  23 

graham,  or  Ben  Bass,  just  as  much.  Yet  why 
should  she  be  so  anxious  to  have  me  stay  on  shore 
to  avoid  an  accident  that  may  not  occur  again  in 
a  century,  if  I  should  live  so  long,  unless  she  does 
really  prefer  me  to  all  others  ?  I  will  certainly 
try  to  find  out  the  state  of  her  feelings  towards 
me  the  first  opportunity,  and  if  she  refuses  me,  I 
will  never  set  foot  in  B again." 

With  this  chivalrous  determination  he  visited 
his  lovely  and  all  unconscious  mistress  the  next 
day,  but  the  fair  lady  was  busy  ironing. — "  I  shall 
see  her  again  this  evening,"  thought  he,  as  he 
turned  slowly  towards  the  town  ;  and  see  her  that 
evening  he  did.  They  rambled  out  towards  the 
cape,  or  promontory,  almost  invariably  the  scene 
of  their  summer  evening  walks  :  for  lovers,  after 
one  or  two  strolls  over  a  particular  portion  of 
ground,  regard  it  as  almost  sacred ;  there  are  a 
thousand  sweet  recollections  connected  with  every 
step — here  they  have  paused  to  admire  some  par- 
ticular feature  in  the  prospect — under  that  spread- 
ing tree  they  have  stood  together  in  silence,  busy 
with  their  own  peculiar  thoughts  ;  and  this  walk 
is  seldom,  if  ever,  changed — it  is  almost  like 
inconstancy  to  each  other  to  propose  a  different 
route. 

They  had  reached  the  high  bluff,  and  were 
seated,  as  usual,  upon  a  solitary  block  of  granite, 
which,  had  they  lived  in  heathen  times,  they 
might  have  worshipped  as  the  ancient  and  much 
respected  god  Terminus.  Mary,  who  had  hitherto 


24  MARY     BOWLINE. 

had  the  conversation  almost  entirely  to  herself, 
suddenly  noticed  her  lover's  abstraction. 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  with  you,  Thomas  ?" 
"  Nothing ;  I  was  only  thinking,  Mary." 
" '  Thinking,  Mary  !'   well,  do  speak  to  Mary 
once  in  a  while.     I  believe,"  she  continued,  after 
a  pause,  and  with  a  faltering  voice  and  feeling  of 
faintness  that  she  could  not  account  for,  "  I  be- 
lieve you  are  in  love,  Thomas."     She  had  heard 
that  day  that  Captain  Kelson  was  making  furious 

love  to  a  sea-nymph  in  B ,  the  daughter  of  one 

of  the  richest  inhabitants. 

"  So  I  am,  sweet  Mary,  most  desperately  so." 
"  I  know  it,  sir ;  I  heard  it  all  this  morning ;  I 
wish  you  joy,"  gasped  the  poor  girl. 

"  Heard  of  it  all !  good  heavens,  Mary,  what  do 
you  mean?  it  is  you,  my  own  dearest  girl,  that  I 
love  ;  who  else  could  you  think  of?"  as  he  spoke 
he  held  both  her  hands  in  his  and  clasped  them 
earnestly. 

"  I  heard,"  faltered  poor  Mary,  "  I  was  told  that 
— that  it  was — Jane  Wilson,  O,  Thomas!"  and 
sinking  her  glowing  cheek  upon  his  shoulder,  she 
burst  into  tears. 

Kelson,  inexpressibly  delighted  by  this  une- 
quivocal testimony  of  her  love,  prest  her  to  his 
bosom,  and  hastened  to  explain  to  her  that  the 
sole  object  of  his  seeking  an  interview  with  her 
that  evening,  was  to  make  known  his  affection  ; 
that  his  silence  and  reserve  were  owing  to  the 
deep  interest  he  felt  in  the  issue  of  that  interview  ; 


MARYBOWLINE.  25 

that  his  visits  to  Captain  Wilson's  were  solely  on 
business ;  that  he  scarcely  saw  his  daughter  Jane 
at  any  one  of  them ;  and  a  thousand  other  things. 
What  a  stupid,  asinive  creature  is  a  lover,  before 
the  ice  is  broken,  and  what  an  eloquent,  inspired 
animal,  after  the  explosion  !  A  lover  may  retire 
to  his  closet,  and  spoil  a  whole  ream  of  paper  with 
"  raven  locks,"  and  "  eyes'  liquid  azure,"  and 
"  sweet  girls,"  &c.  Such  an  epicure  creature  as 
Natty  Willis  will  befoul  you  a  quire  of  foolscap 
before  breakfast  in  that  way — but  let  a  stranger 
see  the  same  lover  in  presence  of  his  idol,  and  he 
would  think  that  he  was  then  to  apologise  for  an 
assault  and  battery  with  intent,  &c. 

The  walk  home  was  the  pleasantest  they  had 
ever  enjoyed — both  were  too  happy  for  conversa- 
tion. They  decided,  however,  before  they  parted, 
that  it  was  altogether  unnecessary  to  communicate 
to  Captain  Bowline  what  had  taken  place.  "  He 
has  understood  all  along  what  was  the  state  of 
your  feelings,"  said  Mary,  "and  I  am  sure  has 
always  regarded  you  with  paternal  kindness," 


CHAPTER    II. 


O  !  a  most  dainty  man ! 
To  see  him  walk  before  a  lady  and  bear  her  fan ! 

LOVK'S  LA.BOR  LOST. 


THE  next  day,  as  the  old  seaman  sat  by  a  front 
window  smoking  his  pipe  after  dinner,  he  suddenly 
started  up  with  the  exclamation  of  "Hey  !  what 
— what  the  devil  have  we  here  ?  Mary,  love,  hand 
me  the  glass — a  mariner  adrift  on  a  grating,  by  the 
Lord  Harry !" 

The  object  that  called  forth  this  animadversion, 
and  broke  a  delightful  day-dream  that  Mary  was  in- 
dulging in,  now  appeared  in  sight,  having  hitherto 
been  hidden  by  a  thick  clump  of  trees,  that  bound- 
ed the  ocean  prospect  towards  the  right.  It  was 
a  small  sail-boat,  with  three  men  in  her,  that,  at 
one  moment  directly  before  the  wind,  and  the  next, 
"  all  shaking,"  seemed  rapidly  approaching  an  ex- 
tensive mud  flat,  that  formed  one  side  of  the  harbor, 
and  towards  which  the  flowing  tide  and  fresh 
breeze  seemed  to  be  fast  drifting  her. 

"  There  they  are,  hard  and  fast !  and  on  their 
beam  ends, too,  by  the  piper," continued  the  veteran, 
and  as  he  witnessed  this  last  catastrophe,  he  sprang 


MARY     BOWLINE.  27 

from  his  chair,  forgetting  in  his  charitable  inten- 
tion of  hurrying  to  their  assistance,  that  they 
were  more  than  half  a  mile  off,  and  in  full  view 
of  the  town. 

"  There  is  a  boat  going  to  them,  pa,"  said  Mary, 
slightly  blushing  as  she  recognised  at  the  mast 
head  of  a  very  handsome,  fast  sailing  boat,  a  blue 
"burger,"  with  a  large  white  M.  in  it,  the  work  of 
her  own  fair  hands. 

"  Aye,"  said  the  veteran,  reseating  himself,  "  aye, 
there  goes  Tom  Kelson  in  your  namesake,  Mary ; 
they'll  get  off  with  a  ducking,  and  it  will  serve 
them  right.  Yes,"  continued  he,  applying  the 
glass  to  his  eye.  "  there  goes  two  of  them  ashore 
through  the  mud,  like  a  couple  of  pup-seals." 

Kelson  managed  his  boat  with  great  skill,  so  as 
to  approach  the  wreck,  on  board  which  still  ap- 
peared one  person  half  overboard,  and  apparently 
almost  exhausted  by  his  violent  struggles  to  dis- 
encumber himself  from  the  wet  sail,  and  by  an- 
choring immediately  to  windward,  and  carrying 
away  cable,  reached  the  boat  and  rescued  the 
unfortunate  man  from  a  situation  that  was  ex- 
ceedingly uncomfortable  if  not  dangerous.  The 
other  two,  by  dint  of  swimming,  wading,  and 
wallowing  through  the  mud,  reached  the  shore, 
which  was  about  three  hundred  yards  distant. 

As  soon  as  he  had  ascertained  that  the  man  on 
board  the  wreck  was  rescued,  the  old  seaman,  "  on 
hospitable  thoughts  intent,"  hastened  to  the  village 
to  obtain  intelligence  and  render  assistance.  It 


28  MARY     BOWLINE. 

was  evening  when  he  returned  to  his  snug  dwell- 
ing, and  then  he  was  accompanied  by  a  tall,  slight 
made,  very  fashion  ably  dressed  young  man,  whom 
he  introduced  to  his  daughter  as  Mr.  Millinet,  of 
New  York. 

Mr.  Millinet,  or  as  he  usually  designated  himself, 
George  Frederick  Augustus  Millinet,  Esq.,  was  a 
"dry  goods  merchant,"  par  excellence,  in  Broad- 
way, who  having  a  little  more  cash  on  hand  than 
he  had  ever  possessed  before,  made  an  excursion 
to  New  England,  with  the  charitable  intention  of 
civilizing  and  astonishing  the  natives.  His  debut 

was,  however,  rather  unfortunate  ;  B was  his 

first  "  land-fall"  after  quitting  the  high  road  from 
New  York,  towards  the  east.  Fancying  that  a 
sail-boat  in  a  sea-way,  was  as  easily  managed  as 
a  Whitehall  skiff,  off  the  Battery  ;  he  had  "  put  to 
sea," in  company  with  two  little  amphibious  urchins 
that  he  had  hired  for  the  occasion,  and  who  de- 
sired no  better  sport.  They  immediately.perceived 
the  ignorance  of  their  commander,  and  began  to 
play  tricks  upon  him,  as  man-of-war's  men  do 
upon  an  ignorant  and  tyrannical  midshipman. 
These  pranks  had  terminated  more  seriously  than 
they  expected,  and,  fearful  of  punishment,  they 
had  betaken  themselves  to  the  water  and  made 
their  escape. 

Mr.  Millinet  being  somewhat  annoyed  by  the 
sly  jokes  and  grave  humor  of  mine  host,  of  the 
hotel,  concerning  his  misfortune,  and  the  giggling 
of  the  waiters  and  chamber-maids,  gladly  accepted 


MARYBOWLINE.  29 

Captain  Bowline's  invitation,  and  was  soon  seated 
at  his  hospitable  and  well  loaded  table,  for  the  old 
tar  put  no  great  faith  in  tea  and  bread  and  butter 
for  supper.  The  knight  of  the  yard-stick  had, 
however,  gulped  down  too  much  salt  water,  and 
been  too  seriously  frightened  to  feel  much  appetite, 
and  he  retired  to  bed  early.  The  next  morning 
he  made  his  appearance  at  breakfast,  over  which 
the  fair  Mary  was  presiding,  and  which  might 
have  excited  an  appetite  in  the  gastric  region  of 
the  most  confirmed  dyspeptic.  There  were  bass 
and  tautaug  fresh  from  the  water  ;  oysters  in  dif- 
ferent forms,  broiled,  stewed,  fried,  &c.;  a  noble 
ham,  into  which  the  stout  seaman  plunged  his 
flashing  carving-knife,  and  hewed  it  in  pieces,  as 
Samuel  did  Agag,  in  the  valley  of  Gilgal ;  there 
was  broiled  ham,  beef  steaks,  mutton  chop,  eggs, 
cheese,  butter,  honey,  hot  cakes  ;  a  pile  of  pllot- 
bread-toast  afoot  high,  ditto, untoasted,  coffee,  tea, 
and  chocolate.  To  all  this  good  cheer,  their  fash- 
ionable visiter  paid  but  small  respect,  and  the  old 
commander,  having  pressed  him  to  make  himself 
at  home,  and  help  himself,  attacked  his  own  break- 
fast with  vigor,  feeling  at  the  same  time  no  small 
contempt  for  a  man  whose  stomach  could  be  so 
effectually  unhinged  by  a  simple  capsize,  and 
thorough  ducking.  The  vender  of  tape  and  calico, 
seemed  to  feast  his  eyes,  if  not  his  appetite,  by 
gazing  on  the  lovely  countenance  of  his  young 
hostess ;  and  after  some  slight  hesitation,  com- 
menced talking  to  her  of  theatres,  and  balls,  and 

3 


SO  MARY      BOWLINE. 

assemblies,  and  fashionable  intelligence  in  general; 
but  Balaam's  ass,  if  she  had  marched  into  the  room 
and  commenced  an  oration  in  the  original  Hebrew, 
or  Chaldee,  or  Syro-Phcenician,  or  whatever  might 
have  been  its  vernacular  tongue  in  which  she 
formerly  addressed  her  master,  could  not  have 
been  more  unintelligible.  The  old  gentleman  made 
an  attempt  to  drive  a  conversation,  and  asked  a 
few  questions  relative  to  foreign  politics,  the  state 
of  navigation,  and  commerce,  in  New  York,  &c.; 
but  finding  his  auditor  as  ignorant  as  though  he 
had  proposed  a  case  in  middle  latitude  sailing,  he 
dropped  him  altogether. 

He  remained  in  the  family  three  or  four  days, 
during  which,  his  attentions  to  Mary  were  inces- 
sant, but  managed  with  such  fashionable  tact  as 
not  to  be  annoying.  She  was  exceedingly  amused 
by  his  consummate  vanity  and  self-conceit ;  that 
seemed  to  make  up  the  greater  part  of  his  cha- 
racter. His  descriptions  of  society  and  manners 
in  the  commercial  emporium,  though  not  altogether 
intelligible  to  his  fair  auditor,  were  new  and  amus- 
ing, and  in  spite  of  the  contagious  effect  of  her 
father's  contempt,  and  the  troubled  looks  of  poor 
Kelson,  she  could  not  help  listening  to  him  with 
complacency.  It  was  evident  to  every  body  but 
Mary  that  the  retailer  of  ginghams  was  most 
seriously  smitten  with  her,  as  much  so,  that  is  to 
say,  as  his  idolatry  of  himself  left  him  capable  of 
being  with  any  person.  And  so  it  proved,  for  in 
less  time  than  she  had  any  idea  that  it  was  possi- 


MARY      BOWLINE.  31 

ble  to  go  to  and  return  from  New  York,  back 
came  her  Broadway  beau.  Mary  opened  her 
large  blue  eyes  in  most  unaffected  astonishment, 
as  he  came  up  to  the  door  at  which  she  was  stand- 
ing, equipped  for  a  walk  with  Kelson.  She  made 
no  scruple  of  consigning  him  to  her  father  and 
continuing  her  walk.  The  old  man  received  him, 
of  course,  with  politeness,  and  after  a  short  con- 
versation, his  visiter  who  seemed  much  embarrass- 
ed, observed  that  he  was  desirous  of  entering  the 
holy  state,  and  then  went  on  to  give  an  account 
of  his  prospects,  expectations,  possessions,  refer- 
ences, hopes,  fears,  anxieties,  (fee.  The  seaman 
listened  with  attention  to  the  whole  catalogue, 
mentally  exclaiming,  "  what  the  d — 1  does  all  this 
mean?" 

"  In  short,  sir,"  said  he  of  Broadway,  "  I  have 
seen  no  young  lady  who  seems  so  well  calculated 
to  make  a  man  happy  as  your  lovely  daughter 
Mary;  and  if  you  have  no  objection,  I  should  be 
happy  to  be  permitted  to  pay  my  addresses  to  her, 
if  her  affections  are  not  already  engaged," 

The  old  sea-dog,  who  had  been  rubbing  his  chin 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  visitor's  harangue, 
observed  that  "  his  daughter  was  indeed  a  fine 
girl,  and  he  (Mr.  Millinet)  had  not  and  could  not 
say  any  more  good  of  her  than  she  deserved ; 
that  as  to  her  affections  being  engaged,  he  did  not 
pretend  to  bother  his  brain  about  an  affair  that  did 
not  concern  him,  trusting  that  the  girl  had  good 
sense  enough  to  make  a  proper  choice  ;  that  with 


52  MARY     BO  WL  I  NE. 

regard  to  paying  his  addresses  to  her,  he  might 
sheer  alongside  as  quick  as  he  liked — he  would 
without  doubt  find  her  at  quarters  and  all  ready 
for  action  ;  and  finally  that  he,  her  father,  would 
not  interfere  to  thwart  her  wishes  in  so  important 
an  affair  as  the  choice  of  a  husband,  for,"  (he  re- 
peated, with  an  internal  chuckle  as  the  thought 
crossed  his  mind,  that  his  favorite  Tom  Kelson 
was  beyond  a  doubt  the  man  of  her  choice,) 
"  Mary  knew  what  she  was  about,  and  had  wit 
enough  to  make  a  judicious  choice." 

This  speech,  an  exceedingly  long  one  for  him, 
was  listened  to  with  great  satisfaction  by  his  fa- 
shionable guest,  who  thus  armed  with  the  father's 
consent,  as  he  regarded  it,  never  dreamed  of  the 
possibility  of  any  difficulty  on  the  daughter's  part, 
and  looked  upon  the  whole  affair  as  settled. 

In  the  mean  time  Mary,  regardless  of  her  vie. 
tory  over  the  heart  of  her  New  York  visiter,  was 
quietly  pursuing  her  evening  walk  with  Kelson, 
to  whom  she  had  made  known  the  presence,  in 
the  vicinity,  of  his  rival.  Her  lover  heard  the 
intelligence  with  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  that 
he  could  not  exactly  define — he  had  unbounded 
confidence  in  his  Mary's  constancy  and  love  just 
at  that  present  time,  but,  like  most  men,  he  had 
rather  a  mean  opinion  of  woman's  constancy  in 
general,  and  could  not  avoid  applying  the  general 
rules  that  he  had  formed  for  himself,  to  most  in- 
dividuals. He  dreaded  the  effect  of  an  assiduous 
and  sustained  attack  upon  Mary's  inexperienced 


MARY     BOWLINE.  33 

mind,  from  a  dashing-,  fashionable  lover,  who  held 
out  to  her  acceptance  all  the  charms  and  glitter  of 
a  life  of  ease,  and  splendor,  and  dissipation.  His 
uneasy  sensations  were  by  no  means  quieted  by 
his  companion's  gaiety,  who  having  at  once  sur- 
mised, or  pretended  so  to  have  done,  the  object 
of  the  Gothamite's  visit,  promised  herself  much 
amusement  from  his  wooing. 

On  their  return  to  the  house,  they  found  the 
new  visiter  quietly  installed  in  the  parlor,  and 
waiting  their,  or  rather  her,  return.     In  high  glee 
with  the  flattering  prospect  before  him,  he  com- 
pletely monopolized  Mary's  attention,  and  events 
ually  put  to  flight  the  overpowered  and  mortified 
Kelson,  who  left  the  house  with  a  heavy  heart, 
For  at  least  a  week  Mr.  Millinet  kept  the  field ; 
he  was  Mary's  constant  companion,  whether  sit- 
ting quietly  at  home  or  walking  out;  and  Kelson, 
finding  it  almost  impossible  even  to  speak  to  her, 
prudently   kept  himself    out  of   the  way,   well 
knowing  that  Mary  would  soon  miss  him,  if  she 
had  not  already,  and  eagerly  seek  an  interview  ; 
nor  was  he  wrong  in  his  conjecture.     Calling  at 
her  father's  house  one  Sunday  morning,  he  found 
her  seated  in  the  parlor  Waiting  for  meeting  time. 
In  the  course  of  conversation  he  asked  her  jesting- 
ly, though  with  a  beating  heart,  "what  she  meant 
to  do  with  her  new  lover  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  she  laughing,  "  he  says 
that  he  has  my  father's  permission  to  make  love 
to  me,  and  he  seems  determined  that  the  permis- 
3* 


34  MARY     BOWLINE. 

sion  shall  not  become  a  dead  letter  for  want  of 
use." 

"  Your  father!  I  had  no  idea  that  he  had  given 
his  consent." 

"  My  father,  Thomas,  has  given  me  free  permis- 
sion to  do  as  I  please  in  the  affair  of  choosing  a 
husband." 

"Certainly,"  said  poor  Kelson,  construing  this 
last  speech  into  sentence  of  death  to  his  love. 

"  And  I  have  already  acted  as  I  pleased,"  con- 
tinued the  lovely  girl,  holding  out  her  hand  to 
him. 

It  was  impossible  to  mistake  the  meaning  of  the 
last  words  and  their  accompanying  action,  and 
the  delighted  seaman  certified  his  full  intelligence 
and  gratitude  upon  her  lips. 

"  I  believe  this  fellow,  my  sweet  Mary,  has  made 
me  almost  jealous  and  quite  foolish  ;  but,  seriously, 
what  do  you  mean  to  do  with  him  ?" 

"  Why,  the  creature  can't  stay  here  for  ever,  and 
if  he  offers  himself  to  me,  I  shall  say  'No,'  in  as 
plain  English  as  possible." 

Mr.  Millinet  soon  after  made  his  appearance, 
and  attended  Captain  Bowline  and  his  daughter 
to  meeting,  to  the  no  small  surprise  of  the  good 

folks  of  B ,  who,  regarding  him  as  the  favored 

lover  of  Mary  Bowline,  could  not  help  expressing 
their  regret  that  she  should  have  slighted  Captain 
Kelson,  and  accepted  "  that  tape-measuring  son  of 

What  a  pity  that  sailors,  and  sea-faring  people 


MARY     BOWLINE.  35 

at  large,  can  seldom  or  never  give  vent  to  their 
indignation  without  at  the  same  time  attacking 
the  parentage  of  the  object  of  their  resentment. 
This  is  decidedly  an  orientalism;  and  I  have  ob- 
served in  another  place  that  sailors  resemble  the 
Orientals  in  their  fondness  for  tropes  and  figures. 
The  most  opprobrious  epithet  that  a  Persian  can 
make  use  of,  when  in  a  passion,  is  to  call  his 
antagonist  "  a  dog's  uncle."  No  other  degree  of 
canine  consanguinity  is  considered  so  degrading. 
The  retailer  of  dry  goods  dined  at  the  house 
of  Captain  Bowline,  and  attended  the  family  to 
church  in  the  afternoon,  but  excused  himself  im- 
mediately after  the  service  was  over  and  returned 
to  the  town.  Kelson  made  a  visit  to  the  house  of 
the  old  seaman  just  at  dark,  and  on  entering  the 
usual  sitting-room  he  found  it  unlighted,  and  oc- 
cupied only  by  Dinah,  the  black  girl,  who,  arrayed 
in  what  the  old  captain  called  her  "  go-ashore  bib 
and  tucker,"  was  probably  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
her  woolly-headed  suitor.  The  old  gentleman  had 
gone  out  visiting,  as  he  usually  did  on  Sunday 
evenings,  and  Mary  was  in  a  little  back  parlor, 
where  she  usually  sat  in  her  father's  absence,  arid 
which  was  the  winter  sitting-room  of  the  family. 
Kelson  had  been  in  the  house  but  a  very  few 
minutes  when  he  saw  his  rival  approaching  the 
front  gate.  With  all  that  propensity  for  mischief 
that  characterizes  sailors  on  shore,  he  immediately 
formed,  and  proceeded  to  put  in  execution,  a  plan 
for  the  torment  and  vexation  of  his  antagonist  of 


36  MARY      BOWLINE. 

the  yard-stick.  He  promised  the  sable  handmaid 
of  his  Mary  a  half  dollar,  if  she  would  personate 
her  mistress  for  a  few  minutes,  which  he  imagined 
easily  enough  done  in  the  dark,  and  instructing 
her  "  to  behave  prim  and  lady-like,"  went  in  quest 
of  the  boy  Jim,  whom  he  stationed  in  the  entry  to 
open  the  door  for  Mr.  Millinet,  and  show  him  into 
the  front  parlor,  and  then  went  to  the  room  where 
the  fair  lady  herself  was  sitting.  She  was  just  on 
the  point  of  coming  to  the  front  room  with  a  light, 
having  heard  his  well-known  voice  and  step,  but 
he  easily  engaged  her  in  conversation  ;  and  when, 
at  Millinet's  knock,  she  was  rising  to  see  who  it 
was,  he  as  easily  detained  her  by  the  assurance, 
that  it  was  "  nobody  but  her  New  York  sweet- 
heart." Every  thing  favored  the  mischievous 
plans  of  the  seaman :  Millinet  never  suspecting 
that  any  female  but  the  mistress  of  the  house 
would  presume' to  seat  herself  in  the  front  parlor, 
and  feeling  moreover  the  darkness  and  solitude  of 
the  room  peculiarly  favorable  to  courtship,  seated 
himself  by  the  side  of  the  supposed  Mary,  and 
immediately  commenced  making  love  in  pretty 
"rapid"  style.  Finding  that  the  lady  answered  only 
in  monosyllables,  and  seemed  more  than  usually 
affable,  he  ventured  to  take  her  hand  and  gently 
squeeze  it.  He  was  at  first  somewhat  startled  at 
the  hardness  and  roughness  of  the  palm,  but  soon 
recollected  that  the  country  ladies  in  New  Eng- 
land were  in  the  habit  of  milking  their  cows, 
making  butter  and  cheese,  <fcc.,  and  said  to  him- 
self, "  Never  mind,  when  she  is  Mrs.  Millinet  her 


*MARY     BOWLINE.  37 

hard  palms  shall  be  well  rubbed  with  pumice-stone 
and  milk  of  roses,  till  they  are  as  soft  as  any  lady's 
in  Broadway." 

Enraptured  by  the  gentle  pressure  with  which 
the  "black  lily"  returned  his  amorous  squeeze  of 
her  hand,  he  ventured  to  raise  it  to  his  lips,  and 
imprint  a  kiss  upon  the  short,  thick  fingers.  At 
this  critical  and  rapturous  moment  the  door  flew 
open,  and  the  real  Mary  entered,  bearing  a  lighted 
glass  mantel-lamp  in  each  hand.  With  a  pro- 
found curtesy  she  placed  her  lamps  upon  the 
mantel-piece,  and  gravely  asking  pardon  for  her 
intrusion,  flew  into  the  room  which  she  had  just 
left,  and  which  immediately  echoed  with  her 
laughter,  lively  and  joyous,  but  most  unfashion- 
ably  loud,  hearty,  and  prolonged.  The  sable  fair 
one  made  her  escape  at  the  same  time,  and  re- 
ceived from  Kelson  double  what  he  had  pro- 
mised her.  Mary,  however,  as  soon  as  she 
had  recovered  her  gravity,  joined  her  new 
suitor,  but  all  her  hospitable  attentions  were  lost 
upon  the  discomfited  Broadway  merchant,  who 
soon  took  his  leave,  overwhelmed  with  shame  and 
mortification,  nor  did  he  sufficiently  recover  him- 
self to  renew  his  visits  for  two  or  three  days. 
When  he  did  again  visit  her  father's  house,  Mary, 
who  thought  the  joke  carried  far  enough,  treated 
him  with  more  than  usual  attention,  by  way  of 
apology  for  her  untimely  and  mortifying  mirth, 
so  that  by  the  expiration  of  the  week  he  had  en- 
tirely recovered  his  spirits,  his  self-conceit,  his 
vanity,  and  his  talkativeness. 


CHAPTER    III. 

You  are  now  within  a  foot 
Of  the  extreme  verge  ;  for  all  beneath  tbe  moon 
Would  I  not  leap  upright! 

KING  LEAR 

SHORTLY  after  this  mad  prank  of  Kelson's,  Mr. 
Millinet  invited  Mary  to  walk  out  one  lovely 
evening,  to  which  she  gladly  assented.  They 
took  their  way  towards  the  "Whale's  Head,"  a 

name  given  by  the  inhabitants  of  B to  the 

high  bluff  already  mentioned,  that  formed  the 
eastern  side  of  their  harbor,  from  its  real  or  fan- 
cied resemblance  to  the  nose,  or  to  speak  more 
scientifically,  "noddle-end,"  of  a  whale.  A  path 
descended  obliquely  from  the  upper  part  of  the 
cape  down  to  the  beach  at  its  foot.  The  whole 
cape  and  the  land  adjacent  were  comprised  in  the 
estate  of  Captain  Bowline,  who  kept  the  paths  in 
good  repair,  and  had  been  at  considerable  pains, 
when  he  first  took  possession  of  the  farm,  to  ren- 
der it  perfectly  safe  and  passable,  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  fishermen,  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  digging  clams  on  the  narrow  beach  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  and  fishing  among  the  sunken  rocks 
at  the  extreme  point.  For  the  whole  length  of 
the  path  the  hill  was  extremely  steep,  but  not  per- 
pendicular, and  covered  with  short  dried  grass, 


MARY     BOWLINE.  39 

which  made  the  surface  so  slippery,  that  it  afforded 
an  apt  illustration  of  Virgil's  "facilis  descensus 
Averni ;"  for  though  any  one  might  accomplish  a 
descent  safely  enough  by  dint  of  holding  on  to  the 
few  shrubs  and  bushes,  and  sliding  occasionally, 
no  animal  but  a  cat,  a  goat,  or  a  monkey,  could 
ascend,  if  it  was  to  save  his  life.  Near  the  mid- 
dle of  the  path  it  was  crossed  by  a  deep  gap,  or 
ravine,  caused  by  the  constant  wearing  of  a  small 
spring  of  water  that  trickled  down  the  face  of  the 
cliff,  and  which  was  generally  swollen  by  the 
melting  of  the  snow,  or  by  occasional  heavy  rains. 
The  beach,  or  rather  marsh,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  the  little  rivulet  joined  the  sea,  was  so  soft 
and  boggy,  as  to  be  utterly  impassable.  Across 
this  ravine,  which  was  known  by  the  name  of  the 
"  Devil's  Gap,"  Captain  Bowline  had  caused  a 
narrow  bridge,  of  two  planks  in  width,  to  be  built, 
protected  on  the  outside  by  a  light  railing.  On 
the  side  next  the  hill,  it  was  sufficiently  guarded 
by  the  crooked  branches  of  a  knurly  and  scrubby 
oak  tree,  that  grew  on  the  very  edge  of  the  ra- 
vine. 

Down  this  path  the  fair  Mary  and  her  suitor 
directed  their  steps.  They  wandered  along  the 
beach  as  far  as  the  point,  the  New  Yorker  in  full 
chat  and  high  spirits,  and  Mary's  attention  almost 
entirely  occupied  by  a  distant  boat  that  seemed 
to  be  engaged  in  fishing,  and  which  she  recognised, 
notwithstanding  the  distance,  to  be  her  name- 
sake, the  Mary,  belonging  to  her  lover  Kelson. 


40  MARY     BOWLINE. 

Their  walk  occupied  them  till  nearly  sun-set, 
when  Mary  suddenly  recollected  that  the  tide  was 
flowing,  and  would  soon  entirely  cover  the  narrow 
beach  that  they  had  just  passed.  By  dint  of  walk- 
ing fast,  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  path  before 
the  beach  was  covered  by  the  tide,  and  commenced 
their  ascent  just  as  the  sun  went  down. 

In  the  mean  time,  heavy  black  clouds  began  to 
muster  in  the  northwest,  announcing  the  approach 
of  a  thunder  shower,  and  reducing  the  evening 
twilight  to  less  than  half  its  usual  duration. 
Large  heavy  drops  of  rain  were  soon  felt  and 
heard,  rattling  in  the  few  straggling  shrubs  and 
bushes,  accompanied  by  short  gusts  of  wind. 
Mr.  Milliner,  who  was  considerably  alarmed  by 
these  indications  of  a  violent  shower,  and  who 
trembled  for  the  safety  of  his  new  Broadway  hat, 
and  Broadway  coat,  hurried  on  with  the  most 
uncourteous  and  unlover-like  disregard  of  his 
fair  companion,  who  was  too  much  accustomed 
to  take  care  of  herself,  to  be  at  all  incommoded 
by  his  neglect.  They  reached  the  "  Devil's  Gap," 
and  the  lover  strode  on  most  rapidly ;  he  was  just 
upon  the  middle  of  the  little  bridge,  when  being 
startled  by  a  sudden  bright  flash  of  lightning,  he 
stumbled,  and  in  the  dread  of  falling  off,  laid 
violent  hold  upon  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
scrubby  oak  on  the  other  side,  recovered  himself, 
and  passed  on.  The  oak,  that  had  long  since 
been  partially  undermined  by  the  water  from  the 
spring,  and  which  Captain  Bowline  had  deter- 


MARY     BOWLINE.  41 

mined  to  remove  before  it  did  any  damage,  gave 
way  before  the  violent  pull  of  Millinet.  Mary, 
whose  feet  were  already  upon  the  planks  of  the 
bridge,  alarmed  by  the  rattling  of  the  loose  earth 
and  stones  that  fell  from  under  the  roots  of  the 
tree,  ran  hastily  back.  The  next  instant,  the  tree, 
with  a  ton  or  two  of  earth  attached  to  its  matted 
roots,  came  thundering  down,  sweeping  away  with 
it  the  bridge,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  path  be- 
yond it.  In  the  mean  time,  short  violent  showers, 
of  but  four  or  five  seconds  in  duration,  with 
equally  short  and  violent  gusts  of  wind,  induced 
the  Broadway  gallant  to  increase  his  speed ;  he 
had  indeed  heard  a  loud  crash,  but  it  is  no  more 
than  bare  justice  to  him  to  say  that  he  mistook  the 
noise  for  thunder. 

Poor  Mary  was  thus  completely  insulated — it 
was  impossible  to  go  back,  for  the  beach  was  long 
since  covered  by  the  rising  tide — to  climb  up  the 
hill  was  exceedingly  difficult,  if  not  absolutely 
impossible  to  an  active  man — to  go  forward  was 
of  course  out  of  the  question — there  was  every 
appearance  of  a  cold,  driving  October  storm  of 
wind  and  rain,  to  which  she  must  necessarily  be 
exposed,  with  no  additional  clothing  except  a 
shawl,  till  the  tide  had  ebbed  sufficiently  to  leave 
the  beach  passible,  and  then  the  walk  round  the 
point  was  full  three  miles.  In  this  dilemma,  far 
from  any  human  habitation,  and  exposed  to  the 
night  wind,  which  now  began  to  blow  extremely 
chilly,  poor  Mary  seated  herself  upon  the  bank 

4 


42  MARY      BOWLINE. 

and  wept  bitterly.  After  the  lapse  of  a  few 
minutes,  she  became  more  composed,  and  most 
fervently  and  earnestly  commending  herself  to 
Divine  protection,  she  endeavored  to  shelter  her- 
self as  much  as  possible  from  the  wind  ;  for  the 
rain  had  now  ceased,  and  the  clouds  breaking 
away  towards  the  south-west,  gave  indications  of 
a  clear,  cold,  frosty  autumnal  night. 

Relief  was,  however,  much  nearer  than  she 
expected.  Her  father,  alarmed  at  her  non-appear- 
ance, and  the  threatening  looks  of  the  weather, 
sallied  forth  in  quest  of  her.  He  had  gone  but  a 
few  rods,  when  he  met  Mr.  George  Frederic  Au- 
gustus, with  his  pocket  handkerchief  tied  over  his 
hat,  and  his  coat  buttoned  up  to  the  chin}  "  strik- 
ing out,"  as  sailors  say,  like  a  man  walking  against 
time. 

"Holloa,"  he  shouted,  "you  Mr.  What's-your- 
name  !  where  the  d — 1  have  you  left  Mary  ?  a 
pretty  fellow  you  are  to  convoy  a  lady,  to  bear  up 
before  the  wind  as  soon  as  the  weather  looks 
misty,  and  leave  her  to  shift  for  herself !  not  but 
that  the  girl  is  a  d — d  sight  better  able  to  take 
care  of  herself  than  you  are  to  take  care  of  her." 
All  this  was  said  in  perfect  good  humor,  the  old 
tar  taking  it  for  granted  that  his  daughter  had 
"made  a  harbor,"  as  he  expressed  it,  in  one  of 
the  neighbor's  houses. 

But  the  abrupt  question  had  startled  Millinet, 
and  he  answered  with  much  confusion  and  hesi- 
tation, "I — really,  sir,  I  thought, — I  am  sure — 


MARYBOWLINE.  43 

that  is — I  thought  she  was  close  behind  me — she 
certainly  was  a  few  minutes  since." 

Captain  Bowline,  muttering  an  inverted  blessing 
upon  his  fashionable  guest,  pushed  on  towards 
the  path  over  the  cliff.  He  was  soon  joined  by 
Kelson,  who  had  come  in  from  fishing  but  a  few 
minutes  before,  and  who,  hearing  of  Mary's  walk- 
ing out  upon  the  beach,  had  immediately  hastened 
to  her  father's  house.  He  too  had  seen  the  hero 
of  Gotham ;  but  that  gentleman,  not  deeming  it 
wholesome  to  hold  much  conversation  with  men 
of  so  little  refinement  and  fashion  as  Bowline  and 
Kelson,  when  irritated,  had  made  the  best  of  his 
way  towards  B . 

Mary's  father  and  lover  accordingly  hurried  on, 
stopping  at  the  house  of  old  Haddock,  the  fisher- 
man, who  lived  near  the  upper  end  of  "  Jade's 
Walk,"  as  the  hill-path  was  called,  where  they 
furnished  themselves  with  a  lantern,  a  coil  of 
rope,  and  sundry  other  articles  that  they  deemed 
necessary.  Old  Haddock  and  his  two  "  boys," 
great  two-fisted  fellows  of  twenty  and  two  and 
twenty  years  of  age,  also  accompanied  them. 
They  soon  arrived  at  the  Devil's  Gap,  where  they 
beheld  the  ruin  caused  by  the  fall  of  the  tree. 
For  an  instant  a  thrill  of  horror  ran  through  the 
hearts  of  two  of  the  beholders  ;  the  idea  that  the 
object  of  their  search  and  solicitude  had  been 
swept  away  by  the  fall  of  the  bridge,  and  crushed 
in  its  ruins,  or  smothered  in  the  mud  and  water 


44  MARY     BOWLINE. 

at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  occurred  instantly  to  both 
of  them. 

From  this  state  of  agony  and  suspense,  they 
were  soon  relieved  by  the  silver  voice  of  Mary 
herself,  calling  from  the  further  side  of  the  gap, 
"  Here  I  am,  dear  father,  don't  attempt  to  come  to 
me,  the  path  is  all  carried  away  on  this  side,  and 
it  is  impossible  for  you  or  any  one  to  get  to  me. 
Wait  till  the  tide  has  gone  down,  and  I  will  walk 
round  to  the  point." 

The  sight  of  the  dear  girl  in  safety  only  stimu- 
lated them  to  greater  exertions  ;  the  old  fisherman 
and  one  of  his  boys  departed  to  their  house  to 
procure  a  long  plank,  while  Kelson  and  the  other 
young  man  returned  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and,  by 
sliding  and  supporting  themselves  by  the  bushes, 
safely  descended  to  the  spot  where  stood  the  lovely 
wanderer.  She  was  so  overjoyed  to  see  them, 
and  so  completely  chilled  through,  that  she  could 
scarcely  speak.  Kelson  immediately  stripped  off 
his  coat,  and  insisted  upon  wrapping  her  in  it ; 
and  the  young  Triton,  following  the  brilliant  ex- 
ample of  one  whom  he  respected  so  much  as 
Captain  Kelson,  doffed  his  "  monkey-jacket," 
and  with  hearty  but  rough  kindness  forcibly 
enveloped  her  feet  and  ancles  in  its  fearnought 
folds. 

In  a  short  time  the  other  two  fishermen  arrived, 
bearing  on  their  shoulders  a  long  plank.  An  end 
of  a  rope  was  then  thrown  to  Kelson,  by  which 


MARY     BOWLINE.  45 

one  end  of  the  plank  was  hauled  across,  and  firmly 
bedded  in  the  bank.  Its  passage  was  then  ren- 
dered secure  by  double  "  life-lines"  on  each  side ; 
and  Mary,  supported  by  her  lover  and  the  young 
fisherman,  safely  reached  the  other  side,  and  was 
pressed,  sobbing  with  joy,  to  her  fond  father's 
bosom.  The  whole  party  then  returned  towards 
Captain  Bowline's  house,  where  the  old  fisherman 
and  his  two  sons  were  liberally  rewarded,  and 
treated  with  a  good  supper. 

The  next  morning  a  messenger  arrived  from 
the  village,  bearing  a  note  from  Mr.  George,  &c. 
Millinet,  in  which  he  attempted  to  excuse  his 
behavior  the  preceding  evening.  Mary  declined 
opening  it,  however,  and  contented  herself  with 
sending  word  by  the  bearer  that  the  writer  need 
riot  give  himself  any  further  trouble  on  her  ac- 
count, an  answer  that  was  sufficiently  intelligible. 
But  the  old  commander  shouted  after  the  messen- 
ger, "  Tell  that  lubberly  yoho*  that  if  I  catch  him 
within  a  cable's  length  of  my  house,  I'll  break 
every  d — d  bone  in  his  tailor-built  body." 

This  threat  was  duly  reported  to  the  crest-fallen 
vender  of  pins  and  bobbin,  who  settled  his  bills, 
and  accomplished  his  escape,  with  as  little  parade 


*  Yoho,  an  animal,  probably  the  ourang-outang,  in  whose  ex- 
istence sailors  are  firm  believers,  and  of  whose  courage,  intelli- 
gence, cunning,  malicious  and  mischievous  disposition,  they  tell 
wonderful  stories.  The  word  seems  to  be  a  corruption  of  Dean 
Swift's  "Yahoo." 
4* 


46  MARY     BOWLINE, 

and  as  much  expedition  as  possible ;  a  movement 
that  excited  full  as  much  conversation  as  his  first 
appearance  and  intimacy  in  Captain  Bowline's 
family ;  and  while  one  party  were  confident  that 
he  had  only  gone  to  New  York  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  his  marriage,  and  another  were  equally 
sure  that  Mary  had,  in  nautical  parlance.  "  given 
him  his  walking  ticket,"  the  story  of  the  accident 
and  Mary  Bowline's  narrow  escape  at  the  Devil's 
Gap  came  out,  with  suitable  additions  and  embel- 
lishments, and  of  course  the  whole  affair  wore  a 
different  face  at  once.  Old  Haddock,  the  fisher- 
man, was  seized  upon  one  evening  in  a  ship- 
chandlery  and  grocery  store,  that  was  the  usual 

Rialto  of  the  loungers  in  B ,  and  rigorously 

cross-questioned.  The  man  of  hooks  and  lines 
hitched  up  his  trowsers,  and  proceeded  to  en- 
lighten his  audience  as  follows  : — 

"  Why  you  see  that  'are  New  York  chap  and 
Miss  Mary  took  a  stroll  down  Jade's  Walk  as  it 
might  be  about  five  o'clock  in  the  arternoon,  P.  M. 
as  the  newspapers  say.  Well,  they  went  down 
Squaw  Beach,  and  so  clean  away  out  as  fur  as 
the  pint ;  and  when  they  was  coming  back,  and  got 
to  the  furder  eend  of  the  walk,  the  Yorker  he 
kinder  shinned  up  to  her,  and  she  didn't  like  it,  for 
I  knowed  all  along  she  meant  to  have  Captain 
Kelson.  Well,  one  word  brought  on  another,  till 
finally  he  conducted  himself  in  a  very  promis- 
cuous manner,  and  she  told  him  to  go  'long  about 
his  business,  or  she'd  tell  Captain  Kelson  of  his 


MARYBOWLINE.  47 

doings.  Well,  that  made  him  just  about  as  mad  as 
a  hoe,  and  so  when  they  come  to  the  Devil's  Gap 
he  kinder  kicked  away  one  eend  of  the  bridge,  and 
then  turned  to  and  hauled  down  that  'ere  scrub 
oak  that  growed  clost  to  the  bridge,  so's  folk 
mought  think  'twas  done  by  accident;  and  so 
there  the  poor  gal  was  left  by  herself  till  old  Cap- 
tain Bowline  and  I  and  my  two  boys  and  Captain 
Kelson,  come  there  and  rigged  a  kind  of  trumpo- 
rary  bridge  like,  and  got  her  safe  over,  and  that's 
the  whole  consarnment  of  the  matter  as  far  as  I 
know  any  thing  on't." 

This  account  of  the  affair,  coming  from  an  eye- 
witness, was  considered  authentic,  being  full,  as 
correct  as  the  stories  of  eye-witnesses  generally 
are.  Mary  at  first  attempted  to  contradict  it,  but 
finding  her  efforts  fruitless,  prudently  determined 
to  let  the  story  die  a  natural  death,  which  it  soon 
did  ;  a  tremendous  gale  of  wind  and  a  shipwreck 
on  the  Whale's  Nose  having  in  less  than  a  week 
most  effectually  turned  the  current  of  conversation 
into  another  channel. 

Mr.  Millinet  reached  New  York  in  safety,  and 
solaced  himself  for  his  defeat  in  New  England  by 
attention  to  his  pretty  person,  and  his  pretty  cus- 
tomers, balls,  assemblies,  and  billiards  ;  in  process 
of  time  made  a  fashionable  failure,  a  fashionable 
marriage,  and  commenced  business  afresh.  To 
the  questions  of  his  acquaintance  respecting  his 
excursion  "  down  east,"  he  was  shy  and  reserved ; 
evading  all  questions  on  the  subject  by  declaring 


48  MARY     BOWLINE. 

that  he  had  passed  his  time  very  pleasantly  while 
he  was  in  New  England,  but  that  the  people  had 
some  very  peculiar  and  odd  notions  of  things.  In 
process  of  time  the  story  of  his  repulse  reached 
New  York  with  all  its  embellishments.  Some  of 
his  friends  were  exceedingly  shocked  at  the  idea 
of  his  having  made  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of  a 
young  lady,  for  such  seemed  the  tenor  of  the  story; 
but  those  who  knew  him  best  fully  acquitted  him 
of  any  thing  of  the  kind,  inasmuch  as  he  had  not 
courage  sufficient  to  offer  violence  to  a  hen  and 
chickens.  A  true  version  of  the  story  soon 
after  came  out,  and  Mr.  George  Frederic  was 
compelled  to  undergo  the  ridicule  of  all  his 
acquaintance. 

Mary  Bowline  became  Mrs.  Thomas  Kelson  on 
"  Thanksgiving-day-night,"  as  the  New  England 
folks  call  it,  on  which  joyful  occasion  the  flag- 
staff was  rigged  "  all  a-tanto,"  and  the  colors 
kept  flying  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  sun-set;  according  to  the  regulations  of 
the  naval  .service,  and  were  also  hoisted  the 
next  day. 

It  was  a  leading  article  in  Mary's  consent  to  the 
marriage,  that  her  husband  should  give  up  going 
to  sea,  which  he  and  her  father  contended  did  not 
include  or  contemplate  his  probably  making  a 
coasting  "  trip,"  if  business  required,  and  Mary  at 
last  consented  to  admit  the  exception.  The  bridge 
at  the  Devil's  Gap  was  substantially  repaired,  and 
was  often  visited  by  Mary  and  her  husband;  and 


MARY      BOWLINE.  49 

Jade's  Walk  was  long  celebrated  as  a  favorite 
evening  stroll  when  the  weather  permitted,  not 
only  with  young  lovers,  but  even  with  "  old  mar- 
ried fudges,"  as  young  ladies  who  are  husband- 
hunting  very  politely  call  them. 


OLD     CUFF. 


OLD     CUFF. 


'  Qualia  multa  man  nautae  patiuntur  in  alto !' 


WHAT  Yankee  man-of-war's-man  is  there,  ashore 
or  afloat,  who  has  "  helped  Uncle  Sam,"  any  time 
between  the  beginning  of  the  "  long  embargo,"  and 
the  year  1827,  who  does  not  know  or  has  not  heard 
of  Old  Cuff?  His  real  patronymic  appellation  is 
nobody's  business  ; — perhaps  it  would  puzzle  him- 
self to  give  any  account  of  it :  nor  is  it  worth  while 
to  inquire  how  the  name  of  Cuff,  generally  bestow- 
ed upon  the  woolly-headed  and  flat-nosed  descend- 
ants of  Ham,  should  be  given  to  a  white  man  ;  and 
as  for  the  pr&nomen,  as  the  Romans  would  call  it, 
of  "old,"  it  is  well  known  to  all  my  short-jacketed 
readers,  that  it  seldom  has,  in  "sea  die."  or  nauti- 
cal language,  any  reference  to  antiquity  on  the 
part  of  the  bearer  thereof;  but  is  merely  a  familiar 
or  affectionate  distinction ;  as  the  commander  of  a 
merchantman,  although  perhaps  under  twenty 
years  of  age,  is  invariably  called  the  "old  man." 
by  all  hands  on  board. 

5 


54  OLDCUFF. 

Old  Cuff,  when  I  knew  him,  was  just  turned  of 
forty,  and  was,  of  course,  of  venerable  standing  ; 
as  it  is  I  presume,  well  known  to  every  body  that 
a  sailor's  life  does  not  average  much  more  than 
forty  years,  from  exposure,  hardships,  and  priva- 
tions. Though  not  stricken  in  years,  according 
to  the  usual  signification  of  the  phrase,  Old  Cuff 
had  certainly  lived  a  great  deal,  and  had  seen  a 
great  deal,  there  being  scarcely  a  habitable  corner 
of  the  world  that  he  had  not  visited,  or  of  the  pri- 
vate history  and  internal  economy  of  which  he 
could  not  relate  many  anecdotes  ;  so  that  he  might, 
without  arrogance  or  vanity,  have  assumed  to  him- 
self the  proposed  motto  of  the  Jesuits : 

"  Gluce  regio  in  terris  nostri  non  plena  laboris !" 

He  commenced  his  career  as  cook  and  cabin-boy 
on  board  a  "  horse-jockey ;"  one  of  those  vessels 
which  carry  horses,  mules,  and  other  cattle  to  the 
West  Indies ;  a  title  bestowed  upon  them  by  sailors, 
who  are  very  much  in  the  habit  of  indulging  in 
that  figure  of  speech  called  by  rhetoricians  meto- 
nymy; in  this  instance  applying  the  genuine  name 
of  all  Connecticut  men,  and  some  Rhode  Islanders. 
to  a  fore-topsail  schooner,  or  hermaphrodite  brig, 
as  the  case  might  be.  He  was  next,  by  a  sort  of 
metamorphosis,  or  rather  metastasis,  not  uncom- 
mon with  those  of  "  steady  habits,"  a  travelling 
tin-pedler;  and  his  adventures  and  hard  bargains, 
during  a  visit  or  two  to  the  western  and  southern 
states,  might  prove  highly  entertaining  to  my 


OLDCUFF.  55 

readers,  had  I  not  seen  some  twenty  or  thirty  of 
them  lately  going  the  rounds  of  the  newspapers, 
which  Old  Cuff  has  often  very  gravely  assured  us, 
in  our  "  quarter  watches"  in  the  main-top,  were 
actually  perpetrated  by  himself.  By  a  transition 
still  easier,  and  perhaps  more  natural,  from  a  tin- 
pedler  he  transmuted  himself  into  an  itinerant 
preacher,  and  from  conscientious  motives  endea- 
vored to  repair  the  injury  he  had  done  to  the 
pockets  of  his  customers  with  his  white-oak  nut- 
megs, horn  gun-flints,  and  bass-wood  cucumber 
seeds,  by  supplying  them  with  pure  unadulterated 
orthodox  Calvinism,  fresh  from  the  Saybrook  Plat- 
form. Nor  did  he  confine  his  usefulness  to  beating 
the  "drum  ecclesiastic  ;"  during  the  long  winters 
in  the  country,  he  "  kept  school,"  as  it  is  somewhat 
perversely  called ;  whereas,  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten,  it  is  the  school  that  "  keeps"  the  schoolmaster. 

But  "  the  sow  that  was  washed  returned  to  her 
wallowing  in  the  mire ;"  and  in  like  manner  Cuff 
left  off  steering  the  souls  of  sinners  through  the 
temptations  and  sorrows  of  this  wicked  world,  or 
the  infant  mind  through  the  intricacies  of  a — b  ab, 
and  once  more  betook  himself  to  steering  vessels 
across  the  ocean.  He  went  to  sea  as  mate,  and 
shortly  after  as  master,  of  a  merchantman.  He 
was  chiefly  employed  in  the  West  India  trade. 

It  has  been  said,  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  the 
Americans  taken  on  board  piratical  vessels  in  the 
West  Indies  and  parts  adjoining,  are  natives  of 
New-England ;  and  it  is  gravely  stated  as  a  rea- 


56  OLDCUPF. 

son,  that  in  consequence  of  the  immense  trade  be- 
tween that  section  of  the  Union  and  those  islands, 
and  the  neighboring  parts  of  the  main  land,  that 
are  the  chief  scenes  of  piratical  depredation  and 
resort;  the  crews  of  the  New-England  vessels  trad- 
ing, and  occasionally  smuggling,  in  bye-ports,  be- 
come gradually  and  imperceptibly  acquainted  with 
those  of  piratical  vessels  frequenting  those  bye-ports 
and  obscure  harbors,  for  the  purpose  of  refitting 
their  vessels  or  disposing  of  their  plunder;  and  that 
these  acquaintances  ripen  into  intimacies,  that  ter- 
minate in  a  strong  cord  with  a  running  noose  in 
the  end  of  it.  The  deduction  is  perfectly  logical, 
and  it  only  remains  to  substantiate  the  premises  ; 
and  these,  I  fear,  may  be  proved,  in  but  too  many 
cases,  to  be  based  upon  too  solid  a  foundation  to 
be  overthrown  by  all  the  incredulous  writhings  of 
national  pride.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  atrocities  of 
Gibbs  and  others  have  recently  proved,  that  total 
depravity  is  approached  as  nearly  by  the  natives 
of  New-England  as  by  any  of  our  Christian 
brethren. 

In  process  of  time  the  subject  of  our  narrative 
grew  tired  of  stowing  molasses,  feeding  horses,  or 
throwing  them  overboard,  and  "dodging"  from 
island  to  island,  and  entered  the  naval  service  of 
the  United  States.  The  vessel  to  which  he  was 
attached  was  stationed  in  the  West  Indies,  and  had 
been  on  her  station  but  a  very  short  time,  before 
that  scourge  of  no  small  portion  of  the  western 
world,  the  yellow  fever,  made  its  appearance  on 


OLDCUFF.  57 

board.  Our  navy  certainly  was  not  then  under  so 
good  regulations  as  at  present.  The  medical  de- 
partment might  perhaps  be  almost  as  good  then 
as  it  now  is,  or  rather  as  it  was  when  I  was  in  the 
service  ;  the  disgracefully  penurious  compensation 
allowed  our  naval  surgeons  rendering  their  station 
contemptible  and  degrading  in  the  estimation  of 
medical  men  of  any  pride  or  ability.  Besides  this, 
the  sick  at  sea  can  never  receive  assistance  from 
female  attendance  ;  for  although  some  may  deem 
it  altogether  imagination,  there  is  something  so 
soothing  to  the  sick  or  wounded  man  in  those 
thousand  nameless  acts  of  kindness  that  none  but 
woman  can  think  of,  and  none  but  woman  perform, 
that,  after  one  or  two  visits  from  the  doctor,  the 
patient  feels  wonderfully  inclined  to  dispense  with 
his  further  attendance  :  nay,  when  languishing  on 
that  bed  from  which  he  is  doomed  never  to  rise, 
his  pillow  is  softer  when  arranged  by  woman's 
hand ;  his  parched  and  clammy  lips  seem  to  re- 
cover their  healthy  freshness  when  woman  admi- 
nisters the  cooling  draught.  When  I  die,  grant, 
kind  Heaven !  that  the  last  earthly  sound  that 
murmurs  in  my  "death-deafened"  ear  may  be  the 
kind,  soothing,  pitying  voice  of  woman.  When 
this  worn-out  hulk,  strained  fore  and  aft  by  ex- 
posure and  hard  service,  its  upper  works  crank  with 
vexations  and  disappointments,  shall  be  hauled  up 
high  and  dry  upon  the  lee-side  of  death's  cove, 
may  the  last  that  "  shoves  off"  from  alongside  be 
woman — I  care  not  whether  wife  or  stranger. 

5* 


58  OLD     CUFF. 

In  addition  to  the  want  of  proper  attention,  a  sick 
sailor  is  invariably  an  object  of  contempt  and  dis- 
gust to  his  officers  :  they  cannot  forbear  regarding 
with  contempt  a  man  who  is  reduced  to  mental 
and  bodily  imbecility  by  a  disease  that  they  do 
not  and  perhaps  never  did  feel :  his  pale,  emaci- 
ated, and  squalid  appearance  excites  disgust.  I 
have  made  these  remarks  to  illustrate  what,  on  the 
authority  of  Old  Cuff,  took  place  on  board  the 
U.  S.  ship . 

Owing  to  the  negligence  or  imbecility,  or  both, 
of  the  medical  department  on  board,  little  or  no 
provision  was  made  for  the  sick.  They  lay  about 
on  the  forecastle  or  the  booms,  and  the  dead  were 
collected,  sewed  up  in  their  hammocks,  "ballasted," 
and  hove  overboard,  every  morning  before  the 
decks  were  washed,  that  is,  between  daybreak  and 
sunrise.  This  duty  was  generally  performed  by 
the  master-at-arms  and  ship's  corporal,  familiarly 
called  throughout  the  service  "  Jack  Ketch  and  his 
mate  ;"  but  in  this  particular  ship,  and  for  the  time 
being,  they  received  the  more  apposite  title  of  ship's 
"  turkey  buzzards."  I  ought  to  have  mentioned, 
that  in  obedience  both  to  naval  etiquette  and  the 
superstitious  feelings  of  the  sailors,  the  burial  ser- 
vice of  the  Episcopal  Church  was  regularly  read 
over  the  result  of  the  ship's  turkey  buzzards'  re- 
searches above  or  below  deck. 

Old  Cuff,  who  had  been  on  shore  with  a  water- 
ing party,  where  he  had  made  a  pretty  heavy  liba- 
tion of  new  rum,  came  on  hoard  at  sunset;  but 


O  L  D      C  U  P  P.  59 

having  a  somewhat  confused  recollection  of  the 
"  bearings  and  distances"  down  the  fore-ladder,  he 
wisely  concluded  to  set  up  his  tabernacle  for  the 
night  upon  the  boom.  Long  before  midnight  he 
perceived  the  symptoms  of  the  cruel  disorder  that 

had  so  fearfully  thinned  the 's  complement. 

His  distress  increased  every  moment — he  earnestly 
begged  for  a  draught  of  water,  but  in  vain,  and 
before  daylight  he  became  insensible.  In  due  time 
all  hands  were  called ;  the  resurrection-men  com- 
menced their  examination,  and  receiving  no  intel- 
ligible reply  to  a  sound  kick  upon  our  hero's  ribs, 
the  ship's  corporal  laid  hold  of  him  by  the  heels, 
and  dragged  him  into  the  gangway,  where  the  two 
functionaries  declared  him  "  dead  enough  to  bury," 
and  forthwith  reported  progress  to  that  effect  to 
the  lieutenant  of  the  morning  watch.  "  Very  well," 
said  the  officer.  "  Young  gentlemen,  have  a  couple 
of  eighteen-pound  shot  got  up;  pass  the  word, 
there,  for  the  sail-maker's  mate.  Boatswain's  mate, 
call  all  hands  to  bury  the  dead.  How  many  are 
there?"  "  Only  one.  sir."  "Very  well.  Tell  Mr. 
Quill  to  bring  his  prayer-book  on  deck." 

The  corpse  was  soon  inclosed  in  its  canvass 
coffin,  with  the  shot  attached  to  the  feet.  The 
captain's  clerk  commenced  the  funeral  service  in 
a  hurried,  monotonous  tone,  and  had  nearly  got 
to  the  fatal  "  we  therefore  commit  his  body  to  the 
deep,"  the  signal  for  launching,  when  the  cere- 
mony was  interrupted,  and  the  officers  and  crew 


60  OLD     CUFF. 

horrified  by  a  violent  struggle  of  the  supposed 
defunct,  accompanied  with  angry  ejaculations. 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  about  ?  Let  me  out, 
let  me  out ;  d — n  your  eyes,  I  ain't  dead  yet ; — cut 
away  your  thundering  hammock,  and  I'll  let  you 
know  whether  I'm  dead  or  not.  This  is  a  pretty 
how-d'ye-do,  to  be  giving  a  fellow  a  sea-toss  before 
his  time  has  come." 

Haifa  dozen  jack-knives  were  at  work  in  an 
instant  upon  the  stitches  of  the  hammock  that  in- 
closed the  dead-alive — their  owners  being  in  their 
eagerness  utterly  regardless  of  the  risk  of  amputa- 
tion to  which  their  haste  subjected  Old  CufFs  nose; 
who,  having  burst  his  cerements  and  shaken  him- 
self, was  conducted  below  to  the  doctor. 

Death,  however,  had  not  yet  done  with  him. 
His  next  cruise  was  in  the  Patriot  service.  No- 
thing very  particular  took  place,  till  being  sent 
with  a  party  "cutting  out,"  as  it  is  technically 
termed  by  seamen — that  is,  capturing  and  bring- 
ing out  vessels  lying  at  anchor  in  an  enemy's  port, 
he  and  several  of  his  party  were  made  prisoners, 
and,  according  to  the  murderous  system  of  warfare 
going  on  between  the  Spanish  royal  forces  and  the 
insurgents,  ordered  to  be  shot.  No  great  formality 
was  ever  used  on  these  occasions,  (the  Catholic 
Church,  of  course,  withheld  her  consolations  from 
heretics,)  and  their  preparations  were  nearly  com- 
pleted, when  several  dragoons  dashed  into  the 
"  plaza,"  bloody  with  spurring,  fiery  red  with  haste, 
announcing  that  the  rebels  were  advancing  in 


OLDCUFP.  61 

great  force  from  the  interior.  The  intelligence 
proved  to  be  correct,  but  the  executing  party  did 
not  wait  to  ascertain  that  fact ;  they  scampered  off 
instantly,  leaving  the  prisoners  bound.  The  Pa- 
triots, of  course,  set  them  at  liberty,  and  Old  Cuff 
was  thus  rescued  a  second  time  from  an  "untimely 
grave."  (By  the  way,  I  never  saw  any  person, 
however  old  and  infirm,  who  was  willing  to  admit 
the  grave  "  timely,"  at  any  age.) 

After  many  wanderings  and  adventures,  he  en- 
tered another  Patriot  vessel,  cruising  off  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Plata.  After  making  some  captures, 
they  were  one  day  suddenly  surprised  and  com- 
pletely hemmed  in  by  a  Spanish  squadron,  consist- 
ing of  a  frigate  and  four  or  five  other  smaller  ves- 
sels. Finding  escape  impossible,  the  commander 
of  the  Patriot  brig,  an  Englishman,  determined  to 
defend  himself  to  the  last  extremity,  at  the  same 
time  using  every  exertion  to  escape,  of  which  the 
swift  sailing  of  his  vessel  held  out  some  hopes. 
These  hopes  were,  however,  frustrated,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  brig  losing  several  important  spars, 
and  being  soon  rendered  almost  a  complete  wreck. 
In  this  crippled  and  unmanageable  condition,  she 
drifted  upon  a  small,  low,  island,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance, but  still  kept  up  a  fire  from  such  of  her  guns 
as  could  be  brought  to  bear,  or  rather  such  as  she 
had  men  enough  left  to  work,  for,  by  this  time,  full 
two  thirds  of  her  crew  were  killed  or  wounded. — 
Finding  it  impossible  to  save  his  vessel,  the  com- 
mander, who  was  dreadfully  wounded,  and  fast 


62  OLDCUFF. 

bleeding  to  death,  recommended  to  the  wretched 
survivors  of  his  brave  crew  to  save  themselves  by 
swimming.  Old  Cuff  and  eight  or  ten  others,  be- 
ing all  who  were  able  cr  willing  to  try  their  chance, 
accordingly  took  to  the  water,  and  reached  the 
island  safely,  Cuff  himself  being  severely  wounded. 
The  island  was  very  low,  scarcely  rising  six  feet 
from  high-water  mark,  and  completely  covered 
with  a  species  of  wild  vine,  that,  finding  neither 
trees  nor  rocks  to  support  it,  had  formed  a  perfect 
cover  to  the  whole  island,  by  twisting  and  inter- 
weaving its  branches  with  each  other,  so  as  to  form 
a  vegetable  carpet  sufficiently  firm  and  close,  in 
nearly  all  parts,  to  support  the  weight  of  a  man. 
Between  this  singular  roof  and  the  ground  was  a 
space  of  two  or  three  feet,  and  within  this  space 
the  unhappy  seamen  secreted  themselves,  not  with 
the  hope  of  escaping,  bat  deferring  the  fate  that 
they  were  certain  awaited  them.  Accordingly,  the 
•Spaniards,  after  having  boarded  the  wreck  of  the 
brig,  and,  according  to  custom,  murdered  the 
wounded  and  mangled  the  dead,  landed  a  large 
party  to  complete  the  horrid  tragedy  by  murdering 
the  few  unfortunate  men  whom  they  had  seen 
swim  to  the  island.  These  savages  ran  about  the 
island,  which  it  does  not  seem  was  more  than  a 
couple  of  acres  in  extent,  yelling  like  wild  beasts, 
and  thrusting  their  swords  and  boarding  pikes 
down  among  the  vines,  with  the  hope  of  piercing 
some  of  the  objects  of  their  revenge.  One  of  them, 
who  appeared  to  be  an  officer,  stood  for  some 


OLDCUPP.  ba 

minutes  directly  over  and  upon  Old  Cuff,  and 
while  giving  directions  to  his  men,  repeatedly 
thrust  his  sword  down  through  the  sheltering 
vines.  The  weapon  passed  once  between  his  arm 
and  body,  and  once  through  his  clothes,  slightly 
grazing  his  side.  His  agony  during  these  moments 
was  horrible.  To  be  dragged  out,  and  murdered 
by  inches,  or  stabbed  to  death  where  he  lay,  not 
daring  to  move,  though  the  pressure  of  the  wretch's 
weight  who  stood  upon  him  was  so  painful,  that 
he  could  scarce  forbear  crying  out.  Such  seemed 
his  inevitable  fate.  But  he  was  doomed  to  undergo 
still  greater  agony.  One  of  the  unfortunate  men 
was  discovered  and  dragged  out  within  a  few 
yards  of  him.  The  incarnate  demons  were  a  full 
hour  murdering  him,  stabbing  and  hacking  him 
with  their  pikes  and  cutlasses  in  parts  of  the  body 
where  wounds  would  be  exquisitely  painful  but 
not  mortal.  The  shrieks  of  the  unhappy  man 
were  dreadful,  the  more  so.  as  every  one  of  his  com- 
panions expected  every  moment  to  share  his  fate. 
The  approach  of  night  at  length  put  an  end  to  the 
dreadful  scene,  and  the  disappointed  hell-hounds 
returned  to  their  ships. 

The  next  morning,  the  Spanish  squadron  sailed 
round  the  island,  pouring  upon  every  part  of  it 
discharges  of  grape  and  canister  shot,  that  proved 
fatal  to  several  of  the  unfortunate  men  concealed 
upon  it.  They  also  landed  again,  and  attempted 
to  set  fire  to  the  vines  and  dry  grass,  but  provi- 
dentially without  much  effect.  They  continued, 


64  OLD     CtJPP. 

however,  to  blockade  the  little  island  for  two  days 
longer,  when  they  were  compelled,  by  bad  weather, 
to  stand  out  to  sea.  Having  ascertained  that  the 
Spanish  murderers  were  gone,  the  miserable  rem- 
nant of  the  brig's  crew  ventured  from  their  hiding- 
places,  almost  exhausted  with  hunger,  thirst,  and 
terror.  The  main  land  was  in  possession  of 
the  Patriot,  or  Buenos  Ayrean  troops,  but  was 
more  than  two  miles  distant ;  and  they  conse- 
quently had  no  alternative  but  to  swim  to  it; 
which  they  accordingly  attempted,  being  extreme- 
ly apprehensive  that  the  Spaniards  would  return. 
The  passage  across  the  straits  was  long  and  te- 
dious ;  and  their  hopes  of  ultimate  success  for  a 
long  time  doubtful.  When  about  half  way  across, 
one  of  their  number  declared  that  he  was  too 
much  exhausted  to  go  any  farther,  and  after  a 
few  words  of  encouragement  from  his  companions, 
suddenly  exclaimed,  "good  bye,"  and  sunk  for 
ever.  The  rest,  five  in  number,  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  shore,  just  at  sunset. 

After  wandering  about  a  mile,  they  came  to  a 
sort  of  farm-house,  the  mistress  of  which  was 
employed  baking  bread.  Delirious  with  hunger, 
three  of  them  tore  the  half-baked  bread  from  the 
oven,  and  devoured  large  quantities  of  it.  They 
all  died  in  horrible  agonies  before  daybreak.  The 
other  two,  more  prudent,  or  having  arrived  at  that 
point  of  starvation,  at  which  pain  had  ceased,  ate 
nothing  but  such  light  food  as  was  provided  for 
them  by  the  humane  Buenos  Ayreans.  In  a  few 


OLD     CUFF.  05 

days  they  were  quite  recovered  from  the  effects  of 
such  prolonged  hunger,  and  made  the  best  of  their 
way  towards  the  city  of  Buenos  Ayres.  Here 
Old  Cuff  found  several  Republican  officers,  by 
whose  influence  he  obtained  a  commission  as  lieu- 
tenant of  artillery.  But,  not  altogether  liking  the 
land  service  in  the  first  place,  and  having  more- 
over ascertained  that  the  Republic  of  Buenos 
Ayres,  like  that  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
was  not  willing  to  vouchsafe  any  thing  but  hard 
knocks,  and  no  pay,  to  those  who  stood  by  her 
and  supported  her,  in  her  fierce  struggle  for  in- 
dependence, he  very  deliberately  disrobed  himself 
of  his  regimentals,  laid  aside  his  epaulets,  tore  up 
his  commission,  and  returned  in  a  merchantman 
to  his  native  country.  Not  long  after  his  return, 
he  entered  in  the  United  States  service,  and  it  was 
then,  that  I  first  saw  him.  He  was  made  captain 
of  the  main-top  before  sailing,  and  I  was,  myself, 
shortly  after,  stationad  in  the  main-top  likewise. 

On  the  passage  out  to  the  Pacific,  and  when 
nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Horn,  we,  that  is  to 
say.  a  midshipman,  Old  Cuff,  and  thirteen  men, 
were  all  very  comfortably  asleep  in  the  main-top, 
the  weather  being  remarkably  mild  for  that  high 
latitude.  It  was  the  middle  watch,  from  midnight 
to  four  in  the  morning;  Cuff  was  lying  athwart- 
ships,  or  cross-wise  of  the  top,  and  near  the  fore 
part  of  it,  where  there  were  no  topsail  nor  topmast- 
shrouds  to  prevent  a  fall.  There  was,  indeed,  a 
"life-line"  from  the  first  topmast-shroud,  on  each 


66  OLDCUPF. 

side,  to  the  cap-shore  amid-ships,  but  it  was  breast 
high,  and  of  course  afforded  no  security  to  a  man 
who  was  lying  down.  My  head  was  pillowed 
upon  Old  Cuff's  side,  the  midshipman's  head  was 
on  my  breast,  and  the  rest  of  my  earthly  taber- 
nacle was  occupied  as  a  bolster  by  as  many  of  the 
quarter  watch  as  could  get  near  me.  About  two 
o'clock,  I  was  suddenly  awoke  by  the  abduction 
of  my  living  pillow,  and  the  consequent  collision 
of  my  head  against  one  of  the  top  burton-blocks. 
At  the  same  time  I  heard  a  whizzing  noise,  like  a 
rope  running  swiftly  through  a  block,  but  none  of 
us  took  much  notice  of  it;  the  midshipman  growled 
some  at  my  fidgeting  about  while  fixing  another 
pillow,  but  the  absence  of  the  captain  of  the  top 
was  not  perceived.  At  seven  bells,  or  half  past 
three,  the  midshipman  of  the  quarter  deck  hailed, 
"  Main-top  there  !  answer  your  musters,  in  the 
main-top." 

"  You  had  better  keep  awake  in  that  main-top  ;" 
thundered  the  lieutenant  of  the  deck,  through  his 
trumpet,  "you  have  lost  one  of  your  number 
already  by  your  sleeping.'' 

All  this  was  "Hebrew  Greek"  to  us,  but  in  a 
short  time  the  sentry  at  the  cabin  door  l- reported" 
eight  bells;  the  lai board  watch  was  called,  the 
wheel,  look-outs,  and  tops  relieved,  and  the  mys- 
tery of  the  loss  of  "one  of  our  number"  fully 
explained. 

"  What  did  you  heave  Old  Cuff  out  of  the  top 
for?"  said  the  first  one  of  the  larboard  watch, 
whose  head  came  through  the  "lubber's  hole." 


OLD     CUFF.  67 

"When  did  Old  Cu$  fall  from  aloft?"  said  the 
next  that  ascended  to  the  "  sky-parlor." 

"  Old  Cuff  is  done  for,"  said  the  third  that  came 
up. 

"  He  has  broke  his  back-bone  short  off;"  said  a 
fourth,  with  his  jacket  over  one  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  and  four  of  his  ribs  to  boot;"  added  a  fifth, 
who  was  determined  the  story  should  not  want 
particulars. 

"  The  doctor  says  he  won't  live  till  morning," 
said  a  sixth,  who  had  not  yet  hove  in  sight,  speak- 
ing below  the  top,  as  Hamlet  senior's  ghost  does 
under  the  stage. 

By  this  time,  the  whole  of  the  alarming  intelli- 
gence was  fairly-  expended,  the  remaining  eightj 
who  made  up  the  sum  total  of  the  quarter  watch, 
having  no  farther  particulars  of  consequence  to 
communicate,  the  first  six  who  came  up  having 
already  broken  every  bone  in  poor  Old  Cuff's  body, 
and  "abridged  his  doleful  days"  to  boot.  By  dint 
of  cross  questioning,  we  made  shift  to  ascertain, 
that  about  two  o'clock,  or  four  bells,  Old  Cuff  had 
rolled  away  from  under  my  head,  and  over  the  top 
brim.  Fortunately  he  fell  across  the  fore-topmast 
studding-sail  tack,  which  broke  two  of  his  ribs  and 
his  fall,  and  thence  he  had  gently  canted  over,  and 
alighted  upon  the  quarter-deck  hammock-nettings, 
nearly  knocked  overboard  the  half-asleep  main- 
lopman  who  was  perched  up  there  as  a  look-out. 
He  recovered,  however,  in  two  or  three  weeks,  in 
spite  of  the  doctor's  prognostication. 


68  OLD     CUFP. 

Upon  onr  arrival  at  Valparaiso,  a  similar  acci- 
dent happened  to  him,  that,  taken  in  connexion 
with  the  first,  formed  what  newspaper  folks  call 
"  a  singular  coincidence."  A  considerable  portion 
of  the  town,  or  city,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  of 
Valparaiso,  is  built  upon  and  among  several  high, 
rocky,  precipitous  cliffs,  to  which  sailors,  time  out 
of  mind,  have  given  the  names  of  fore,  main,  and 
mizen  tops.  It  is,  perhaps,  another  singular  coin- 
cidence, that  the  name  "  main-royal,"  that  belongs 
of  right  to  the  highest  sail  in  a  ship,  is  applied  to 
the  lowest  part  of  said  respectable  sea-port.  The 
"main-top"  is  the  favorite  resort  of  sailors,  but  I 
cannot  say  much  in  praise  of  the  moral  virtues  of 
the  denizens  of  said  main-top.  They  do,  indeed, 
enjoy  a  better  prospect  and  a  purer  air  than  their 
fellow  citizens,  whose  location  is  somewhat  nearer 
the  level  of  the  sea,  so  that  their  physical  elevation 
gives  them  many  advantages  that  serve  to  com- 
pensate them  for  what  they  lack  through  moral 
debasement.  The  part  of  the  main-top  that  fronts 
the  bay,  is  a  sheer  precipice  of  two  hundred  feet ; 
but  on  another  part,  it  is  simply  too  steep  for  any 
animal  but  a  monkey  to  make  a  highway  of. 
Down  this  part  Old  Cuff,  who  was  ashore  on 
liberty,  and  who  likewise  had  his  "beer  aboard," 
contrived  to  trundle  himself,  and  was  picked  up  as 
dead  in  the  street  below.  He,  however,  recovered 
from  this  tumble  as  speedily  as  he  did  from  the 
other,  having  received  but  little  damage,  except 
some  half  dozen  cuts  and  bruises  in  the  counte- 


O  L  D     C  U  F  P.  69 

nance,  which  he  held  in  but  light  esteem,  being 
by  no  means  vain  of  his  beauty.  I  do  not  re- 
collect that  he  met  with  any  more  accidents  of 
consequence  during  the  cruise.  He  returned  to 
America  in  the  frigate,  and  I  have  since  been  told 
that  he  had  received  a  gunner's  warrant,  in  con- 
sideration of  his  long,  and,  in  his  way,  faithful 
services  and  many  wounds ;  for  I  believe  he  had 
been  wounded  in  almost  every  naval  engagement 
during  the  last  war. 


THE     RIVALS. 


THE     RIVALS. 


IN  the  neighborhood  of  Genoa,  there  lived  some 
years  since  an  old  gardner,  who,  by  dint  of  most 
unwearied  industry  and  great  skill  in  his  vocation, 
had  acquired  sufficient  property  to  enable  him  to 
purchase  the  farm  that  he  had  hitherto  occupied 
as  a  tenant.  His  name  was  Pietro  Morelli.  He 
had  no  family  but  an  only  child,  his  daughter 
Bianca,  at  the  time  of  our  story  in  her  nineteenth 
year,  and  who  assisted  her  father  in  such  branches 
of  his  occupation  as  were  not  inconsistent  with 
her  sex. 

Bianca  Morelli  possessed  all  that  peculiar  beauty 
for  which  her  country-women  are  celebrated  ; 
namely,  regular  Grecian  features,  a  clear  brunette 
complexion,  a  profusion  of  raven  black  tresses, 
and  soft,  languishing,  and  most  intelligent  black 
eyes.  Her  form  was  tall,  slender,  and  graceful, 
while  her  disposition  was  amiable  and  gentle  as 
her  face  was  lovely.  The  beautiful  Bianca  was 
well  known,  and  admired  bymost  of  the  inhabitants 


74  THERIVALS. 

of  Genoa  ;  and  her  sweet  face  and  modest  deport- 
ment were  always,  with  them,  irresistible  induce- 
ments to  purchase  her  fruits  and  flowers,  when 
she  accompanied  her  father  to  market,  or  visited 
the  city  alone. 

It  so  chanced  one  day,  that  a  party  of  Austrian 
officers,  who  had  recently  been  quartered  in  Genoa, 
rode  out  to  old  Morelli's  house,  to  enjoy  what  was 
to  them  both  a  luxury  and  a  novelty  ; — eating  fruit 
fresh  gathered  from  the  trees  and  vines. — Old 
Morelli  was  by  no  means  ambitious  of  this  honor ; 
he  was  too  firm  a  friend  to  his  degraded,  but  still 
redeemable  country,  to  desire  any  intimacy  with 
the  military  myrmidons  of  her  Austrian  despot ; 
so  thar,  notwithstanding  the  grave  and  correct 
moral  deportment  which  is  said  to  be  the  general 
characteristic  of  the  Austrian  officers,  and  of 
which  he  was  aware,  he  saw  their  approach  to 
his  humble  dwelling  with  a  vague  feeling  of  dis- 
trust and  anxiety. 

Among  his  military  visitors  was  General  Baron 
Plindorf,  one  of  those  "  gallant  militarists"  that 
abound  in  all  standing  armies  ;  whose  sole  em- 
ployment, during  the  "  piping  times  of  peace,"  and 
in  the  course  of  a  soldier's  unsettled  and  rambling 
life  from  quarters  to  quarters,  seems  to  be,  to  abuse 
the  rights  of  hospitality,  by  carrying  disgrace  and 
infamy  into  every  domestic  circle  to  which  they 
can  by  any  means  obtain  admittance.  It  ought 
to  be  a  source  of  pride  to  my  countrymen,  that 
they  are  more  of  a  marrying  people  than  the 


THE      RIVALS.  75 

English  or  French,  and  do  not  regard  women  in 
the  same  degraded  light  as  a  gambler  does  a  pack 
of  cards,  that  are  to  be  shuffled  and  played  with 
for  a  while,  and  then  thrown  away.  Our  naval 
and  military  officers  are  rather  remarkable  for 
their  readiness  to  form  matrimonial  connexions; 
while  on  the  other  hand,  our  young  men  who  are 
educated  to  the  law,  physic,  or  divinity,  never 
think  of  "setting  up  for  themselves,"  till  they  are 
"accommodated,"  as  Bardolph  says,  with  a  wife, 
whom  the  three  learned  professions  regard  as  in- 
dispensable as  Starkie  on  Evidence  to  the  first ; 
apocket  case  of  instruments,  or  Dawes'  Midwifery, 
to  the  second  ;  or  a  Brown's  Concordance,  or  Cal- 
met's  Dictionary,  to  the  third. 

Such  characters  as  I  have  alluded  to,  it  would 
seem,  are  extremely  common  in  the  British  army  ; 
and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  they  are  not  less 
plentiful  in  the  armies  of  the  European  powers ; 
though  it  does  not  appear  that  the  community  at 
large  gain  wisdom  and  caution  from  the  mourn- 
ful experience  of  their  neighbors,  but  rather  the 
reverse  ;  for,  if  we  may  believe  their  own  writers, 
the  foot-steps  of  a  regiment,  moving  about  through 
different  country  quarters,  are  marked  by  more 
incurable  evils,  and  more  true  horrors,  than  the 
march  of  an  invading  army  through  a  hostile,  and 
resisting  country.  It  has  been  said  of  the  Turk- 
ish army,  that  they  are  far  more  formidable  to  their 
friends,  than  to  their  foes  ;  if  any  dependence  can 
be  placed  in  those  numerous  writings,  professing 


76  THE      RIVAL  8. 

to  be  descriptions  of  English  manners,  that  find 
their  way  across  the  Atlantic,  the  same  may  be 
said  of  that  portion  of  the  British  army  that  is  on 
the  "  home  station." 

Baron  Plindorf  was  an  unprincipled  libertine, 
cold,  selfish,  and  unfeeling.  He  was  eminently 
successful  too  in  his  diabolical  enterprise,  although 
there  was  nothing  prepossessing  in  his  person  or 
in  his  manners ;  but  he  had  the  reputation  of  being 
irresistible,  and  of  course  he  was  so  ;  for,  whatever 
may  be  the  reason,  it  is  a  most  lamentable  fact, 
that  to  be  called  a  professed  rake,  and  reputed 
father  of  some  half  dozen  illegitimate  children,  is 
a  man's  most  irresistible  passport,  and  powerful 
recommendation  to  the  good  graces  and  smiles  of 
the  fair  sex  at  large ;  every  woman  is  instantly 
eager  to  call  into  exercise  that  fascinating  treachery 
that  ought  to  doom  its  possessor  to  public  infamy 
and  detestation.  The  next  most  powerful  intro- 
duction to  female  favor,  is  to  be  a  widower  or  a 
foreigner;  though  the  latter  is  almost  uniformly 
"brought  to  bay,"  in  a  few  months  after  marrying 
in  this  country,  by  a  wife  and  some  eight  or  nine 
children  from  "over  the  water;"  the  very  next 
foreigner  that  comes  overa/owe,  is  snapped  up  in 
the  same  way — but  enough  of  this. 

He  saw  and  admired  Bianca,  as  Milton's  devi 
saw  and  admired  Paradise,  with  the  prospective 
determination  of  destroying  its  calm  happiness 
forever. 

There  was  one  of  old  Morelli's  visitors,  bovr 


THERIVALS.  77 

ever,  upon  whom  the  lovely  Bianca's  beauty,  mo- 
desty and  grace,  had  made  an  impression  of  a  far 
different  kind.  This  was  the  young  Count  Alten- 
berg,  acknowledged  on  all  hands  to  be  the  most 
accomplished  gentleman,  and  most  amiable  and 
estimable  young  man,  in  that  division  of  the 
Grand  Duke's  army.  Frederic  Count  Altenberg, 
was  the  son  of  Rudolf,  of  Altenberg,  an  officer  of 
high  rank,  who  had  served  his  country  faithfully, 
but  ineffectually,  in  opposing  the  headlong  pro- 
gress of  the  blood-stained  Corsican.  The  old 
Count  had,  within  two  years,  been  gathered  to 
his  fathers,  and  his  title  and  estates  had  descended 
to  his  only  son,  then  in  his  twenty-third  year. 
At  an  early  age  Frederic  had  received  a  com- 
mission as  captain  of  cavalry,  but  as  every  body 
knows  that  promolion  is  slower  in  the  army  of 
his  Tuscan  highness  than  in  that  of  any  other 
European  power,  he  still  remained  a  captain  of 
cavalry,  and  probably  would  do  so  unto  his  dying 
day.  It  was  his  determination,  as  soon  as  he  re- 
turned to  Florence,  to  resign  his  commission,  and 
retire  to  his  paternal  estates  in  Germany,  but  "diis 
aliter  visum  est,"  the  fates  had  decreed  otherwise. 
An  indulgent  and  fond  father  had  spared  no  pains 
nor  expense  in  educating  this  his  only  child,  and 
that  child  had  amply  repaid  his  care. 

Educated  most  carefully  in  the  strictest  princi- 
ples of  the  Christian  religion  and  morality,  gen- 
erous, brave,  and  humane,  he  was,  when  he  arrived 
to  man's  estate,  the  beau  ideal  of  a  man  of  honor, 
7 


78  THE      RIVALS. 

and  a  gentleman.  By  neither  of  these  terms,  do 
I  mean  that  fashionable  personage  whose  god  is 
himself,  who  would  seduce  his  friend's  wife  or 
sister,  or  strip  him  of  his  last  farthing  at  a  gam- 
ing table,  and  then  shoot  him  through  the  head, 
by  way  of  making  amends ;  or  who  scrupulously 
discharges  all  gambling  and  betting  debts  ;  utterly 
neglecting  those  of  the  poor  tradesman,  or  indus- 
trious mechanic,  but  the  "  justum  et  tenacem  pro- 
positi  virum,"  of  the  Roman  satirist,  the  man  of 
strict  integrity,  and  immoveable  principles.  Fre- 
deric had  long  since  formed  a  determination,  that 
as  soon  as  he  could  clear  himself  from  the  army, 
he  would  most  seriously  incline  himself  to  the 
search  of  a  wife.  Although  considered  by  his  fair- 
haired  countrywomen  as  lawful  game,  arid  more- 
over as  one  who  was  well  worth  securing,  he  had 
hitherto  escaped  any  very  serious  affection  of  the 
heart.  The  beauty  of  Bianca,  so  unlike  what  he 
had  been  accustomed  to,  had  charmed  him ;  her 
unaffected  modesty  had  commanded  his  respect ; 
and  when  he  left  her  father's  house,  he  determined 
that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  his  comfort,  to 
see  her  again.  Accordingly  the  next  evening,  and 
the  next,  and  many  succeeding  evenings,  sa\vhim 
riding  towards  old  Morelli's  cottage  ;  and  he  had 
long  been  convinced,  from  what  he  saw  of  Bianca, 
that  he  had  at  last  found  the  woman  who  only  of 
all  her  sex  could  make  him  happy ;  which  is  pre- 
cisely what  every  man  thinks  when  in  love  for 
the  first  time,  and  alters  his  mind  in  less  than  a 


THKRIVALS.  79 

twelvemonth.  Nor  was  the  gentle  Bianca  insen- 
sible to  his  evident  partiality  for  her  society  ;  she 
detected  herself  repeatedly,  without  being  willing 
to  acknowledge  it,  wishing  for  evening— disap- 
pointed, if  the  sky  was  overcast,  or  the  weather 
rainy — fluttering  with  hope,  and  joy,  and  inde- 
scribable emotion,  at  the  sight  of  every  distant 
cavalier,  or  at  the  sound  of  every  horse's  hoof 
upon  the  road  towards  the  city.  The  warm  blush, 
the  speaking  smile,  the  sparkling  eyes,  of  both  the 
lovely  Bianca  and  the  young  soldier,  would  have 
been  sufficient  to  convince  the  most  casual  ob- 
server that  there  existed  the  most  decided  case  of 
a  serious  affection  of  the  heart.  Of  course  old 
Morelli's  eyes  had  long  before  seen  and  made  due 
report  to  his  mind,  as  to  what  was  the  true  state 
of  his  daughter's  and  the  young  nobleman's  affec- 
tion. Ever  anxious  for  Bianca's  happiness  and 
welfare,  and  still  more  so  now  that  she  had  attain- 
ed that  age  when  female  beauty  is  both  mature 
and  fully  developed,  while  at  the  same  time  it  has 
all  the  freshness  and  rosiness  of  youth,  he  became 
exceedingly  alarmed  and  agitated  at  the  too  obvi- 
ous state  of  the  lover's  sentiments.  He  sought 
and  soon  obtained  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to 
him,  and  Frederic  was  at  that  moment  anxious 
to  see  the  old  man,  and  putting  to  him  that  ques- 
tion, which,  whether  addressed  to  the  fair  one  in 
person,  or  to  her  pa  and  ma,  is  always  embarrass^ 
ing ;  always  makes  a  man  look,  and  feel,  and  act, 
very  much  like  a  fcol ;  and  when  answered  in  the 


80  THE      RIVALS. 

affirmative,  is  not  unfrequently  the  forerunner  of 
most  sincere  and  hearty  repentance.  In  fact,  re- 
pentance being  so  often  the  consequence  of  mar- 
riage, (it  is  gravely  asserted  by  some  of  the  old  fa- 
thers,) is  in  our  mind  reason  why  Catholics  regard 
it  (that  is,  the  marriage,  not  the  repentance)  a 
sacrament,  "because  it  produces  repentance,  which 
is  a  step  towards  grace."  I  am  so  far  a  Catholic, 
as  to  admit  most  cheerfully,  that  it  is  a  holy  state, 
and  that  th^re  is  no  text  in  scripture  more  true, 
than  that  "  it  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone  ;;' 
still  if  I  was  about  entering  that  holy  state,  I  am 
sadly  afraid  that  my  feelings  would  be  wholly 
uninfluenced  by  any  hopes  of  approaching  any 
nearer  towards  a  state  of  grace,  not  even  over  the 
thorny  path  of  the  consequent  repentance. 

"  Signior  Co.unt,"  began  old  Morelli,  as  soon  as 
he  had  ascertained  that  they  were  alone,  "you 
cannot  suppose  me  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  your 
frequent  visits  to  my  poor  house,  or  that  as  a 
father  I  am  so  indifferent  to  my  daughter's  happi- 
ness as  to  see  it  without  extreme  anxiety." 

"  I  was  about  speaking  to  you  on  the  same  sub- 
ject," said  Frederic,  hesitatingly,  "  I  have  already 
told  you  that  it  is  my  fixed  determination  to  leave 
the  army,  and  retire  to  peaceful  life  on  my  own 
estate.  But  although  my  fortune  is  princely,  I 
feel  it  would  be  valueless  without  your  lovely 
daughter.  Signior  Morelli,  I  love  Bianca ;  I  have 
made  no  attempt  to  conceal  it  from  you  ;  were 
my  intentions  dishonorable,  do  you  not  think  that 


THERIVALS.  81 

I  would  endeavor  to  hide  them  from  a  father's 
eye  ?  Do  you  take  me  for  the  bold,  hardened  liber- 
tine that  would  trample  under  foot  a  father's 
hospitality  to  accomplish  his  daughter's  infamy  ? 
You  wrong  me,  Signior,  if  you  do  ;  but  I  cannot 
believe  that  in  your  dislike  to  my  country,  you 
believe  all  her  children  base  and  unprincipled." 

"  Nay,  my  young  friend,  I  believe  nothing  of 
that  detestable  character  can  be  laid  to  your 
charge.  But  consider  for  a  moment  the  immeijse 
distance  between  you.  You  are  an  Austrian  no- 
bleman of  high  rank  and  of  ancient  family,  and 
Bianca,  on  the  other  hand,  can  boast  of  nothing 
but  her  good  name  and  unsullied  character." 

"  And  does  not  virtue  outweigh  all  worldly  titles 
and  distinctions  in  the  estimation  of  every  rational 
and  virtuous  mind  1  Your  lovely  daughter's  vir- 
tues are  far  superior  to  my  empty  titles  or  im- 
mense wealth.  In  accepting  me  as  a  husband, 
she  would  confer  honor,  not  receive  it.  She  de- 
scends to  my  level ;  I  do  not  and  eannot  rise  to 
hers — the  gain,  the  honor,  the  advantage,  of  such 
an  alliance  would  be  mine." 

"  You  are  an  enthusiast,  Count ;  your  passion 
has  gotten  the  better  of  your  judgment ;  that  you 
love  my  daughter  now  I  am  perfectly  willing  to 
admit,  but  that  your  affection  for  her  will  sustain 
the  shock  of  the  ridicule  of  your  associates,  or  the 
contempt  and  neglect  with  which  your  proud  and 
titled  kindred  and  countrymen  will  treat  such  a 
wife,  whom  they  regard  so  infinitely  beneath 
7* 


82  THERIVALS. 

them,  I  very  much  doubt.  Matches  between  peo- 
ple so  widely  separated  by  difference  of  rank, 
however  arbitrary  and  absurd  those  distinctions 
may  be,  can  never  produce  aught  but  unhap- 
piness." 

The  Count  was,  notwithstanding  the  reasona- 
bleness of  old  Morelli's  objections,  as  politely  ob- 
stinate as  young  lovers  are  to  old  fathers,  when 
those  old  fathers  condescend  to  reason  with  them 
instead  of  resorting  to  the  more  usual  and  sum- 
mary process  of  turning  them  out  of  doors,  and 
forbidding  their  daughters  to  hold  any  farther 
communication  with  the  dear  rejected.  In  a  sub- 
sequent conversation  with  his  daughter  he  found 
that  both  parties  were  nearly  in  the  same  situation  ; 
Bianca  with  many  tears  confessing  her  love  for 
Count  Altenberg.  There  seemed  then  but  two 
chances  to  escape  from  this  state  of  embarrass- 
ment, namely,  either  to  consent  to  Frederic's  offer 
of  his  hand,  or  to  send  his  daughter  to  an  aged 
relative  at  Padua ;  which  last  plan  was  liable  to  so 
many  objections  that,  after  ruminating  upon  it  for 
two  days,  he  gave  it  up,  and  permitted  the  lovers 
to  enjoy  each  other's  society,  though  without  giv- 
ing a  direct  consent  to  their  union. 

In  the  mean  time  the  libertine  Plindorf  was 
plotting  destruction  to  the  fair  Bianca.  He  well 
knew  that  such  a  woman  was  not  to  be  carried 
by  the  usual  attacks  of  flattery  and  money ;  which 
last,  whether  administered  in  the  form  of  rich  and 
dazzling  presents,  or  simply  by  itself,  is  almost 


THERIVALS.  83 

uniformly  found  irresistible  by  old  and  young 
women,  according  to  their  tastes  or  situations ; 
his  plan  was  therefore  necessarily  more  deeply 
laid  than  any  he  had  heretofore  practised.  It  was 
accordingly  with  a  mingled  emotion  of  pleasure 
and  anxiety  that  he  watched  the  progress  of  the 
attachment  between  the  two  lovers.  Although  he 
feared  that  her  attachment  might  prove  too  strong 
to  be  easily  shaken,  he  still  hoped  to  be  able  to 
involve  them  in  embarrassments,  and  then,  under 
the  guise  of  friendship  and  pretence  of  assisting 
them,  further  his  own  unprincipled  views.  The 
impetuosity  of  the  young  nobleman,  and  certain 
circumstances  that  he  could  not  foresee,  brought 
the  affair  to  a  crisis  both  unexpected  and  disas- 
trous. 

The  Baron  walked  out  one  afternoon  towards 
old  Morelli's  cottage,  without  any  fixed  object,  for 
the  unequivocal  dislike  that  Bianca  always  mani- 
fested towards  him,  had  determined  him  to  cease 
his  visits  to  her  father's  house,  and  make  his  ap- 
proaches with  the  utmost  caution.  He  approached 
a  retired  spot  near  the  house,  where  the  lovers 
frequently  strolled  to  enjoy  each  other's  society. 
Bianca  had  also  wandered  there  in  the  hope  of 
meeting  Frederic.  She  was  occupied  gathering 
flowers,  and  arranging  them  in  a  nosegay,  when 
a  rustling  among  the  bushes  attracted  her  atten- 
tion. She  hastily  advanced  towards  the  spot, 
exclaiming  "  Frederic !"  when  the  Baron,  the 
man  whom  of  all  others  she  most  hated,  and,  for 


84  THE     RIVALS. 

some  undefinable  reason  or  other,  feared,  stood 
before  her. 

"  Fairest  Bianca  !"  said  Plindorf,  advancing, 
"let  me  not  alarm  you,  although  I  am  not  the 
person  you  seemed  to  expect ;  let  me  hope  that  the 
presence  of  a  friend  and  well-wisher  to  both  par- 
ties is  not  disagreeable  or  terrifying." 

Bianca,  exceedingly  alarmed  at  the  sudden  ap- 
parition of  one  so  odious  to  her,  had  sunk  down 
upon  a  rude  seat.  The  Baron  approached,  and 
taking  her  passive  hand,  seated  himself  by  her 
side.  Mistaking  the  cause  of  her  quietness,  he 
ventured  to  press  her  trembling  hand  to  his  lips, 
and  attempted  to  pass  his  arm  around  her  waist. 
The  terrified  girl  suddenly  sprang  from  him  with 
a  loud  shriek,  and  attempted  to  fly;  the  Baron 
again  caught  her  hand,  and  endeavored  forcibly 
to  detain  her.  At  that  moment  the  Count  Alten- 
berg  suddenly  stood  before  them,  his  eyes  flashing 
with  rage. 

"  Villain,"  he  exclaimed,  as  soon  as  his  passion 
would  give  him  utterance,  "deceitful,  cowardly 
scoundrel !  take  that"— striking  him  a  violent 
blow,  and  at  the  same  time  unsheathing  his 
sword. 

The  Baron  was  ready  in  an  instant,  but  as  soon 
as  the  Count  felt  his  weapon  clashing  against  that 
of  his  antagonist,  he  became  at  once  cool  and 
composed.  Not  so  Plindorf,  he  dashed  at  his 
more  youthful  opponent  with  a  fury  that  had 
well  nigh  brought  the  combat  to  a  speedy  and  fatal 


THE      RIVALS.  85 

issue,  and  compelled  Frederic  to  exert  his  utmost 
skill.  The  peculiar  danger  of  his  situation,  and 
almost  certain  death  or  remediless  disgrace  that 
awaited  him,  even  if  victorious,  for  having  struck 
his  superior  officer,  were  present  to  the  mind  of 
the  young  officer  in  gloomy  and  terrible  colors  ; 
but  it  was  too  late  to  retract.  The  fury  of  the 
Baron  threw  him  off  his  guard — he  received  a 
mortal  wound,  and  fell  dead.  The  unhappy  sur- 
vivor stood  for  some  seconds  gazing  upon  the  in- 
animate form  before  him ;  and  as  the  features, 
after  being  convulsed  for  a  little,  settled  into  the 
iron  stiffness  of  everlasting  sleep,  he  uttered  a  deep 
sigh,  and  unconsciously  moved  away  from  the  spot. 
At  this  moment  Bianca,  recovering  from  the  stupor 
into  which  the  terrible  scene  had  thrown  her,  ear- 
nestly enjoined  him  to  fly. 

"  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost,"  said  the  agonized 
girl ;  "  fly  at  once  to  the  sea-side — go  on  board 
any  vessel  that  is  about  sailing — in  a  few  days, 
I  doubt  not,  this  unhappy  business  will  be  hushed 
up." 

"And  where  shall  I  fly?"  said  the  Count; 
"where  shall  I  go  from  him?" — indicating  the 
slain  nobleman  by  a  movement  of  his  hand — 
"  do  you  know  what  I  have  done  ?  I  have  in  one 
moment  sentenced  myself  to  death ;  or,  what  is 
worse,  to  disgraceful  and  infamous  privation  of 
all  my  honors  and  rank." 

"  No.  no — there  is  yet  time — go  immediately  on 
board  the  American  man-of-war  in  the  harbor — 
they  dare  not  search  for  you  there." 


86  THERIVALS. 

With  many  entreaties  and  tears,  she  prevailed 
upon  him  to  take  measures  for  his  safety;  and  with 
a  lightened  heart  saw  him,  from  the  windows  of  her 
father's  house,  reach  the  water-side  uninterrupted  ; 
saw  him  leave  the  shore  in  a  little  skiff,  when  the 
intervention  of  other  objects  hid  him  from  her 
sight. 

The  two  officers  were  missed  that  evening. 
The  dead  body  of  the  ill-fated  Baron  was  soon 
discovered;  for  many  had  seen  him  going  towards 
old  Morelli's  cottage  ;  but  no  traces  of  Count 
Altenberg  have  ever  been  discovered.  Morelli 
and  his  daughter  underwent  a  rigid  examination; 
the  former  could  throw  no  light  upon  the  myste- 
rious disappearance  of  Frederic,  but  Bianca,  the 
pure-minded  Bianca,  unreservedly  related  all  the 
circumstances.  The  examining  officers  forwarded 
an  elaborate  and  circumstantial  report  of  the  case 
to  Vienna,  accompanied  by  an  earnest  petition  in 
behalf  of  the  absent  Count.  The  Emperor  laid 
the  affair  before  a  select  council  of  old  and  expe- 
rienced officers,  who,  after  due  deliberation,  and 
weighing  the  excellence  of  Altenberg's  character 
against  the  depravity  of  his  slain  antagonist,  sug- 
gested the  expediency  of  pardoning  the  offender. 
Proclamation  was  accordingly  made  to  that  effect, 
but  without  success. 

The  unhappy  Bianca  lived  to  experience,  in  all 
its  bitterness,  that  "  hope  deferred  that  maketh  the 
heart  sick."  and  eventually  breaks  it.  She  died  in 
less  than  two  years  after  the  flight  of  Frederic,  a 


THE      RIVALS.  87 

victim  to  a  disorder  that  has  no  place  in  the  cata- 
logue of  nosologists,  and  is  not  recognised  as  a 
malady;  though  it  is  as  incurable  and  consigns 
almost  as  many  victims  to  an  untimely  grave  as 
consumption,  with  which  it  is  very  frequently  con- 
founded— I  mean  a  broken  heart.  She  was  buried, 
according  to  her  dying  request,  in  the  little  arbor 
that  Frederic  had  assisted  her  to  erect  and  adorn, 
and  where  she  had  passed  those  most  delightful 
moments  in  human  existence,  the  days  of  the  first 
love,  and  first  courtship,  of  two  young,  affection- 
ate, and  virtuous  beings.     Blessed  moments  !  that 
occur  but  once  in  the  dreary  threescore  years  and 
ten,  and  fade  away  before  we  have  time  to  enjoy 
them,  and  we   only  become   conscious  of  their 
existence  from  the  certainty  that  they  are  gone 
for  ever. 

****** 

Several  years  ago,  and,  if  I  am  not  much  mis- 
taken, just  after  the  peace  of  1815,  an  officer,  in 
full  Austrian  uniform,  came  on  board  one  of  our 
frigates  then  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Genoa.  From 
the  richness  of  his  regimentals,  and  a  cross  and 
ribbon  in  his  button-hole,  it  was  evident  that 
the  stranger  was  of  high  ancestral  and  military 
rank. 

It  so  happened  that  he  cameon  board  just  at  "grog 
time,"  (four  o'clock)  in  the  afternoon  ;  and  during 
the  interesting  moment  that  sailors  are  discussing 
their  whiskey— the  whole  Holy  Alliance,  with  aids 
and  prime  ministers  and  protocols,  might  come 


88  THERIVALS. 

on  board,  and  balance  Europe,  or  upset  the  scales, 
just  as  unto  them  seemed  good,  expedient,  or  poli- 
tic, without  attracting  any  attention  from  these 
short-jacketed  philosophers ;  unless  indeed  some 
straggler  from  the  upper  deck  might  come  below, 
and  casually  inform  his  messmates,  that  "there 
was  a  whole  raft  of  soger  officers  on  the  quarter- 
deck ;"  for  be  it  known  to  all  concerned,  that  the 
word  number  is  seldom  or  never  used  by  nautical 
philologists  to  designate  things  numerable,  it  is  al- 
ways "a  raft  of  women,"  "a  raft  of  marines,"  &c. 
I  could  easily  go  on  to  show  that  the  word  "raft" 
is  a  good  phrase,  and  peculiarly  applicable  to 
women  and  marines ;  but  I  must  resist  the  tempt- 
ation of  convincing  the  public,  that  sailors  are  as 
deeply  versed  in  the  mysteries  of  their  mother- 
tongue,  as  many  of  those  who  stay  ashore  all  their 
life-times,  and  make  dictionaries. 

The  day  after  the  arrival  of  this  military  stran- 
ger, it  was  ascertained  by  the  crew,  that  there  was 
a  supernumerary  on  board  by  the  name  of  Wil- 
liams ;  for  it  is  as  impossible  for  the  commander 
and  officers  of  a  man-of-war  to  keep  a  secret  in 
the  cabin,  as  it  is  for  twelve  "good  men  and  true," 
locked  up  in  a  jury-room.  The  new-comer  seemed 
to  have  free  access  to  the  cabin,  and  was  treated 
with  much  respect  by  the  officers,  but  it  was  soon 
observed,  by  the  seamen,  that  he  never  went  on 
shore.  In  the  course  of  a  few  months,  he  was  put 
on  board  a  homeward-bound  ship ;  and  when  the 
crew  of  the  frigate  returned  to  America,  they  saw 


THE      RIVALS.  89 

him  again  in  New  York,  abandoned  to  intem- 
perance. 

When  on  a  cruise  in  the  Pacific,  the  crew  of 
one  of  the  light  vessels  of  the  squadron  were 
transferred  to  the  frigate  that  I  was  on  board  of; 
their  time  of  service  having  expired.  Among 
them  was  Williams ;  and  from  his  shipmates  I 
learned  the  above  particulars.  In  person,  he  was 
about  five  feet  eight  or  nine  inches  high,  and  ex- 
tremely well  made.  With  the  rest  of  the  schooner's 
people,  he  had  been  on  shore  on  liberty,  where  he 
had  been  continually  intoxicated  ;  his  face  was  in 
consequence  bloated,  and  his  eyes  bloodshot  and 
swollen. 

I  further  understood,  that  he  would  get  drunk 
whenever  he  had  an  opportunity,  and  when  in- 
toxicated he  was  completely  insane.  He  was  also 
subject  to  fits  of  temporary  derangement,  independ- 
ent of  the  insanity  produced  by  excessive  drinking, 
when  he  was  both  furious  and  dangerous  ;  and  it 
was  always  necessary,  on  such  occasions,  to  con- 
fine him  in  irons.  He  was  also  represented  as 
being  extremely  reserved,  and  refusing  to  answer 
any  questions  respecting  himself,  whether  address- 
ed to  him  by  officers  or  seamen ;  that  he  spoke 
with  fluency  all  European  languages,  on  which 
account,  he  was  extremely  useful  as  an  interpreter, 
both  on  the  coast  of  Peru  and  Chili,  and  on  that 
of  Brazil ;  that  he  was  a  first  rate  swordsman, 
either  with  the  small-sword  or  sabre,  and  a  dead 
shot  with  pistol  or  musket. 


90  THE     RIVALS. 

During  his  short  stay  on  board  the  frigate,  he 
had  one  of  his  temporary  fits  of  insanity,  probably 
induced  by  excessive  intemperance,  if  intempe- 
rance admits  of  superlatives,  while  on  shore.  He 
suddenly  started  up  from  a  gloomy,  stupid  reverie, 
and  ran  about  the  decks  like  a  wild  beast,  striking  and 
knocking  down,  every  one  he  met;  then  all  at  once 
plunging  down  the  main-hatchway,  he  attempted 
to  get  possession  of  one  of  the  boarding  cutlasses, 
but  fortunately  they  were  well  secured  in  the  racks 
over  the  guns,  to  prevent  them  from  falling  down 
with  the  motion  of  the  ship.  Before  he  could 
make  a  second  and  more  regular  attempt,  he  was 
secured,  put  in  irons,  and  placed  under  charge  of 
a  sentry.  Had  he  succeeded  in  arming  himself, 
he  would  have  made  bloody  work  on  the  quarter- 
deck, towards  which  it  seemed  evident  he  was 
steering  his  course  ;  the  uniforms  of  the  officers, 
and  marine  guard,  probably  calling  up  to  his  dis- 
eased imagination,  and  memory,  scenes  of  by-gone 
days  connected  with  or  the  remote  cause  of  his 
present  insanity.  The  officers  seemed  to  be  so 
far  acquainted  with  his  history,  as  to  feel  compas- 
sion for  his  most  wretched  situation  ;  for,  as  he 
manifested  no  symptoms  of  derangement  the  next 
morning,  except  his  usual  deep  melancholy,  he 
was  discharged  from  confinement,  to  the  great  as- 
tonishment of  the  ship's  company;  for  though  the 
discipline  on  board  was  as  mild  as  it  could  be  con- 
sistent with  the  preservation  of  good  order,  and 
perfectly  free  from  that  tyranny  that  but  too  many 


THERIVALS,  &J 

of  our  navy  officers  think  indispensable,  they  cer- 
tainly were  not  accustomed  to  seeing  such  quiet 
jail  deliveries. 

Williams  afterwards  re-entered  on  board  the  same 
vessel  that  he  came  from,  and  I  lost  sight  of  him 
of  course,  as  our  frigate  was  on  the  point  of  quit- 
ting the  station  to  return  home.  He  has,  in  all 
probability,  long  ere  this,  reached  the  grave  to- 
wards which  he  seemed  to  be  hurrying,  with  all 
the  speed  of  intemperance  and  insanity  combined, 


MORTON. 


MORTON. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Bel  and  the  Dragon's  chaplains  were 

More  moderate  than  these  by  far  : 

For  they,  poor  knaves,  were  glad  to  cheat, 

To  get  their  wives  and  children  meat; 

But  these  will  not  be  fobb'd  off  so, 

They  must  have  wealth  and  power  too  ; 

Or  else  with  blood  and  desol4tion 

They'll  tear  it  out  o'  th'  heart  o'  th'  nation.— 

a 


NOTWITHSTANDING  the  success  of  the  many 
daring  and  lawless  adventurers  who  visited  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  or  "  Great  South  Sea,"  as  it  is 
called  in  the  maps  and  travels  of  the  period,  and 
who  reaped  many  a  golden  harvest  there,  about 
the  time  of  the  first  James  and  Charles  of  England, 
the  coasts  washed  by  its  waves  were  but  seldom 
visited,  and  its  waters  seldom  ploughed  by  any 
other  keels  than  those  of  discovery  ships  for  many 
years.  Chili,  Peru,  Mexico,  and  California,  after 
having  been  definitively  ceded  to  the  Spanish 
crown,  constituted  an  El  Dorado,  whose  gates 


96  MORTON. 

could  only  be  opened  by  a  formal  declaration  of 
war.  Spain  was  generally  considered  by  the  other 
European  powers  to  have  a  double  right  to  South 
America,  namely,  that  of  discovery  and  conquest ; 
and  after  an  ineffectual  struggle  to  wrest  the 
golden  prize  from  the  grasp  of  its  legitimate  pos- 
sessor, England,  and  the  rest  of  the  "high  con- 
tracting powers,"  acquiesced  in  her  possessing  it, 
the  more  readily  because  they  wished  the  same 
kind  of  title  should  be  acknowledged  in  their  own 
case.  Accordingly  discovery  and  conquest  have, 
to  this  day,  been  considered  as  good  and  lawful 
titles,  and  a  sort  of  deed  of  conveyance,  on  the 
part  of  the  natives,  to  their  discoverers  and  con- 
querors of  all  and  sundry  their  lands  and  landed 
estates,  together  with  their  goods  and  chattels, 
when  of  any  value. 

His  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  then,  finding  his 
claim  to  the  New  World  fully  established,  set 
about  civilizing  his  new  conquest  in  good  earnest, 
and  sending  out  swarms  of  priests,  backed  of 
course  by  the  military  portion  of  the  secular  arm, 
with  glory  to  God  on  their  lips,  and  hatred  to  his 
creatures  in  their  hearts,  with  the  sword  in  one 
hand  and  the  crucifix  in  the  other,  soon  convinced 
the  unhappy  natives  of  their  damnable  heresies. 
Their  simple  religion  was  destroyed,  millions 
perished  by  the  sword  or  Jhe  tender  mercies  of  the 
Holy  Inquisition,  and  as  many  more  in  the  mines  ; 
and  civilization  and  religion  kissed  each  other,  and 
rested  from  their  labors  of  love. 


MORTON.  97 

This  was  the  most  received  method  of  convert- 
ing whole  nations  at  once,  then  in  vogue — we 
Protestants  of  the  present  day  are  far  more  hu- 
mane ;  we  only  distribute  among  the  newly  dis- 
covered nations  of  the  earth,  rum  and  Calvinism, 
gunpowder  and  the  venereal  disease,  and  with 
these  powerful  agents  our  missionaries  and  mer- 
chants, have  succeeded  in  causing  Dagon  to  bow 
down  before  them — o.ver  all  the  civilized  world. 
New  Holland  seems  to  be  the  only  uncivilized 
part  of  this  watery  ball,  but  New  Holland  holds 
out  no  temptations  to  the  missionary ;  the  inhabit- 
ants are  a  little  too  cannibally  given,  and  martyr- 
dom is  altogether  obsolete  ;  besides,  it  is  doubted 
:by  our  soundest  theologians  whether  Christianity 
was  ever  intended  for  a  people  so  brutal  and 
debased. 

Spain,  at  the  time  I  refer  to,  was  renowned  in 
arts  and  in  arms  ;  her  commerce  extended  from 
.the  East  to  the  West  Indies,  and  she  was  for  a 
time  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  kingdoms  of 
Europe.  Her  priests,  finding  the  New  World  a 
land  overflowing,  not  exactly  with  milk  and 
honey,  but  with  what  in  all  ages  and  in  all  coun- 
tries is  considered  infinitely  better,  gold  and  silver, 
and  abounding  in  every  thing  that  could  pamper 
the  pride  and  gratify  the  sense,  founded  churches 
and  monasteries,  while  her  viceroys  built  cities 
and  forts,  and  South  America  became  the  richest 
jewel  in  the  diadem  of  His  Catholic  Majesty.  To 
(Secure  this  jewel  entirely  to  himself  seems  to  have 


98  MORTON. 

been  his  chief  anxiety,  and  accordingly  all  foreign- 
ers were  rigidly  excluded  from  its  sea-ports,  and 
although  the  "Assiento,"  or  contract  for  sup- 
plying the  colonies  with  African  slaves,  was  en- 
joyed successively  by  the  English  and  French, 
both  of  whom  successively  abused  it  by  smuggling 
immense  quantities  of  their  respective  manufac- 
tures into  those  colonies,  the  duty  of  supplying 
them  with  European  merchandise  was  carried  on 
finally  solely  by  means  of  register  ships,  as  they 
were  called,  Cadiz  being  the  only  European  port 
where  they  were  permitted  to  load  and  discharge. 

The  whaling  ships  were  only  permitted  to  pro- 
cure supplies,  or  "  recruit,"  as  our  unctuous 
brethren  of  Nantucket  call  it,  at  certain  fixed  and 
well-fortified  ports.  Still  even  these  managed  to 
carry  on  quite  a  respectable  business  in  the  smug- 
gling way,  especially  with  the  ports  of  Mexico  and 
California. 

But  a  new  flea  was  about  getting  into  Don 
Diego's  ear — the  peace  of  1783,  while  it  added  an 
infant  giant  to  the  catalogue  of  earthly  "princi- 
palities and  powers,"  also  liberated  from  the  fetters 
of  commercial,  as  well  as  political  restraints,  a 
people  active,  restless,  daring,  prying,  and  enter- 
prising to  the  last  degree  ;  a  people  whose  skill  in 
navigation  and  swift-sailing  vessels  rendered  them 
absolutely  intangible  to  an  enemy  that  took  occa- 
sion to  chase  them,  while  their  courage,  when  they 
thought  proper  to  "stand  to  it,"  as  dame  Quickly 
says,  made  them  dangerous  antagonists.  This 


MORTON.  99 

the  reader  probably  "guesses"  must  be  brother 
Jonathan,  and  he  guesses  about  right.  The  same 
spirit  of  restless  curiosity  that  prompts  a  cat,  when 
she  sets  up  her  Ebenezer  in  a  new  house,  to  ex- 
amine every  portion  of  it,  from  cellar  to  garret, 
seemed  to  have  possessed  our  grandpas  more 
strongly  than  it  does  us  of  the  present  age. 

This  national  character  of  ours  is  owing  doubt- 
less to  our  having  been  placed  by  the  hand  of 
Heaven  in  an  immense  unexplored  region,  and 
was  no  doubt  much  increased  by  the  spirit-stirring 
scenes  of  the  revolutionary  war,  which  beheld  our 
"old  continentals"  one  day  ferreting  out  the 
long-tailed  Hessians  from  the  woods  of  Saratoga, 
and  another  "doing  battle  right  manfullie"  on  the 
plains  of  South  Carolina. 

While  they  of  the  land  service  were  pushing 
their  advanced  posts  to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  our  seamen  were  carrying  our  striped 
bunting  into  every  portion  of  the  navigable  world. 
Such  were  the  people  whose  arrival  in  the  Pacific 
the  Spanish  commandantes  and  viceroys  awaited 
with  no  small  fear  and  trembling.  They  knew 
vaguely  that  we  had  just  come  off  victorious  from 
a  long,  fierce,  and  bloody  struggle  with  powerful 
England,  and  while  they  consigned  us  pell-mell 
to  the  devil,  as  "  malditos  Americanos,"  they 
doubted  whether  we  had  the  additional  claim  to 
go  there  upon  the  strength  of  being  heretics.  The 
captains  of  the  guarda-costas  redoubled  their  vigi- 
lance, and  sailed  in  chase  of  not  a  few  albatrosses 


10S  MORTON. 

islands  and  strange  vessels,  we  never,  to  use  a 
vulgar  expression,  saw  "  hide  or  hair"  of  these 
supererogatory  islands. 

But  to  return ;  in  a  direction  nearly  east  from 
the  Three  Marys,  the  reader  will  find,  on  most 
maps,  a  small  river,  called  by  the  Spaniards,  in 
their  usual  style  of  bombast,  El  Rio  Grande,  or 
the  Great  River  ;  though  the  identical  legs  that  I 
now  stand  upon  have  waded  across  it  at  low 
water,  and,  except  cutting  my  foot  with  an  oyster- 
shell,  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable  in  the 
exploit.  At  the  mouth  of  this  mighty  stream  is 
an  island  on  which  stands  the  town  of  St.  Bias. 

The  Spaniards,  as  it  is  well  known,  when  they 
discovered  America,  christened  every  cape,  bay, 
mountain,  river,  island,  rock,  or  shoal  after  some 
saint  or  other,  but  the  learned  are  somewhat  puz- 
zled to  know  who  this  St.  Bias  can  be.  In  my 
poor  opinion,  the  difficulty  is  easily  enough  got 
over — the  word  Bias  is  only  a  corruption  of  Blast, 
and  accordingly  we  shall  find  that  St.  Blast,  pro- 
perly so  called,  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  our 
old  friend  jEolus,  of  the  heathen  mythology, 
smuggled  into  the  calendar,  who,  being  the  god 
of  blasts  and  puffs,  might  well  be  canonized  under 
the  name  of  St.  Blast,  without  doing  violence  to 
the  tender  consciences  of  the  good  Catholics.  In 
this  way,  according  to  Dean  Swift,  Jupiter  became 
Jew  Peter,  and  by  a  natural  transition,  Saint 
Peter.  Whether  he  is  right  or  not,  one  thing  is 
certain,  that  sundry  temples,  of  which  the  veri- 


MORTON.  103 

table  Jupiter  has  been  "seized  in  fee  tail,"  I  think 
lawyers  call  it,  from  time  immemorial,  have 
quietly  become  "St.  Peter's  churches,"  to  the 
great  edification  of  the  Christian  world,  and  in- 
credible advancement  of  religion  and  piety. 

The  island,  upon  which  St.  Bias  is  perched, 
slopes  off  gradually  to  the  eastward,  but  to  the 
south  and  west  descends  in  a  sheer  precipice  of 
two  or  three  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  town 
was  taken  and  retaken  several  times  during  the 
sanguinary  war  of  the  Mexican  revolution.  The 
last  time  it  was  in  the  hands  of  the  royalists,  they 
compelled  all  the  male  inhabitants,  and,  report 
says,  not  a  few  women  and  children  besides,  that 
they  suspected  of  favoring  the  Patriot  cause,  to 
leap  off  this  precipice.  Soldiers  were  stationed  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff,  to  despatch  those  who  reached 
the  bottom  with  any  signs  of  life.  This  piece  of 
information  I  had  from  a  widow  who  kept  a  shop 
in  the  Plaza,  and  who  also  told  me,  "  with  weep- 
ing tears,"  that  her  husband  was  one  of  the  num- 
ber who  took  the  fearful  leap. 

Rather  on  the  north-west  side,  the  hill  is  sur- 
mountable by  a  zig-zag  path,  up  which  a  loaded 
mule  can  climb  with  some  difficulty.  On  the 
west,  or  seaward,  side,  is  a  strip  of  flat  land,  of 
considerable  width,  on  which  formerly  stood  the 
royal  arsenal,  rope-walks,  and  warehouses,  the 
ruins  of  which  were  standing  in  1822,  when  I 
visited  the  place.  On  the  western  extremity  of 
this  level  land  is  a  small  village,  called,  as  usual 


102  MORTON. 

islands  and  strange  vessels,  we  never,  to  use  a 
vulgar  expression,  saw  "  hide  or  hair"  of  these 
supererogatory  islands. 

But  to  return ;  in  a  direction  nearly  east  from 
the  Three  Marys,  the  reader  will  find,  on  most 
maps,  a  small  river,  called  by  the  Spaniards,  in 
their  usual  style  of  bombast,  El  Rio  Grande,  or 
the  Great  River  ;  though  the  identical  legs  that  I 
now  stand  upon  have  waded  across  it  at  low 
water,  and,  except  cutting  my  foot  with  an  oyster- 
shell,  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable  in  the 
exploit.  At  the  mouth  of  this  mighty  stream  is 
an  island  on  which  stands  the  town  of  St.  Bias. 

The  Spaniards,  as  it  is  well  known,  when  they 
discovered  America,  christened  every  cape,  bay, 
mountain,  river,  island,  rock,  or  shoal  after  some 
saint  or  other,  but  the  learned  are  somewhat  puz- 
zled to  know  who  this  St.  Bias  can  be.  In  my 
poor  opinion,  the  difficulty  is  easily  enough  got 
over— the  word  Bias  is  only  a  corruption  of  Blast, 
and  accordingly  we  shall  find  that  St.  Blast,  pro- 
perly so  called,  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  our 
old  friend  ^Eolus,  of  the  heathen  mythology, 
smuggled  into  the  calendar,  who,  being  the  god 
of  blasts  and  puffs,  might  well  be  canonized  under 
the  name  of  St.  Blast,  without  doing  violence  to 
the  tender  consciences  of  the  good  Catholics.  In 
this  way,  according  to  Dean  Swift,  Jupiter  became 
Jew  Peter,  and  by  a  natural  transition,  Saint 
Peter.  Whether  he  is  right  or  not,  one  thing  is 
certain,  that  sundry  temples,  of  which  the  veri- 


MORTON.  103 

table  Jupiter  has  been  "seized  in  fee  tail,"  I  think 
lawyers  call  it,  from  time  immemorial,  have 
quietly  become  "St.  Peter's  churches,"  to  the 
great  edification  of  the  Christian  world,  and  in- 
credible advancement  of  religion  and  piety. 

The  island,  upon  which  St.  Bias  is  perched, 
slopes  off  gradually  to  the  eastward,  but  to  the 
south  and  west  descends  in  a  sheer  precipice  of 
two  or  three  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  town 
was  taken  and  retaken  several  times  during  the 
sanguinary  war  of  the  Mexican  revolution.  The 
last  time  it  was  in  the  hands  of  the  royalists,  they 
compelled  all  the  male  inhabitants,  and,  report 
says,  not  a  few  women  and  children  besides,  that 
they  suspected  of  favoring  the  Patriot  cause,  to 
leap  off  this  precipice.  Soldiers  were  stationed  at 
the  foot  of  the  cliff,  to  despatch  those  who  reached 
the  bottom  with  any  signs  of  life.  This  piece  of 
information  I  had  from  a  widow  who  kept  a  shop 
in  the  Plaza,  and  who  also  told  me,  "  with  weep- 
ing tears,"  that  her  husband  was  one  of  the  num* 
ber  who  took  the  fearful  leap. 

Rather  on  the  north-west  side,  the  hill  is  sur- 
mountable by  a  zig-zag  path,  up  which  a  loaded 
mule  can  climb  with  some  difficulty.  On  the 
west,  or  seaward,  side,  is  a  strip  of  flat  land,  of 
considerable  width,  on  which  formerly  stood  the 
royal  arsenal,  rope-walks,  and  warehouses,  the 
ruins  of  which  were  standing  in  1822,  when  I 
visited  the  place.  On  the  western  extremity  of 
this  level  land  is  a  small  village,  called,  as  usual 


104  MORTON. 

in  such  cases,  the  Porte,  or  landing  place.  The 
bay,  which  is  a  fine  harbor,  sweeps  far  to  the 
eastward,  when  the  land,  trending  away  to  the 
southward,  with  a  slight  inclination  westerly,  be- 
comes lost  in  the  distance.  The  more  immediate, 
or  inner,  harbor,  is  formed  by  a  point  of  land 
opposite  the  Porte,  on  the  southern  extremity  of 
which  is  a  battery,  formerly  of  considerable  di- 
mensions, and  strength,  but  since  suffered  to  de- 
cay, and  is  much  reduced  in  effectiveness.  It 
was  intended  to  command  the  harbor  and  an- 
^chorage ;  but  with  Spanish  artillerymen,  a  mile 
offing,  and  reasonably  good  weather,  a  ship 
would  be  as  safe  from  its  fire,  for  three  months 
at  least,  as  though  she  was  all  the  while  in  Lon- 
don Docks. 

At  the  distance  of  two  or  three  miles  from  the 
usual  anchorage,  and  forming  an  excellent  lead- 
ing mark  for  the  bay,  is  Pedro  Blanco,  or  the 
White  Rock,  of  two  hundred  feet  height,  perfectly 
precipitous  and  inaccessible,  and  resembling  a  huge 
tower,  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea. 

Taken  altogether,  the  bay  of  St.  Bias  forms  a 
very  beautiful  prospect,  with  the  Andes  in  the  back 
ground,  which,  with  their 

"  Meteor  standard  to  the  winds  unfurl'd, 
Look  from  their  throne  of  clouds  o'er  half  the  world  ;" 

its  white  sand  beach,  fading  gradually  away  to 
the  south  and  east,  its  town  roosting  on  its  barren 


MORTON.  105 

rock,  and  indistinctly  seen  ;  its  low  lands  covered 
with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  lime  and  other  trees  ; 
and  lastly,  by  way  of  seasoning,  its  moschetoes 
and  sand-flies. 


CHAPTER    II. 


A  knight  be  was,  whose  very  sight  would 
Entitle  him  mirror  of  knighthood. 


TROPICAL  climates  have  certainly  one  advantage 
over  all  others,  that  is  not  to  "be  held  in  light  esteem. 
They  have  rainy  and  dry  seasons,  that  are  exclu- 
sively rainy  and  dry.  During  six  months,  or 
nearly  as  long,  the  windows  of  heaven  stand  wide 
open,  by  night  and  by  day,  and  the  liquid  blessing 
descends  upon  the  thirsty  earth  beneath  "  in  one 
lot,"  as  auctioneers  say  ;  while  on  the  other  hand, 
the  dry  season  has  its  great  and  manifold  advan- 
tages and  pleasures.  With  us  in  the  temperate 
zone,  as  geographers  call  it,  I  suppose,  for  want  of 
another  name,  a  man  does  not  think  of  riding 
twenty  miles  without  India  rubbers,  a  great  coat, 
boots,  and  an  umbrella,  to  say  nothing  of  an  entire 
change  of  raiment,  if  he  is  a  prudent,  cautious 
old  bachelor,  or  widower  ;  and  even  then  he  is  as 
likely  to  get  a  ducking  as  to  have  fine  weather. 

During  a  tropical  dry  season,  on  the  contrary, 
a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles  may  be  safely 
undertaken,  without  any  of  thesa  ei  cumbrances ; 
with  two  or  three  clean  shirts,  a  man  may  scam- 


M  O  R  T  O  1C.  107 

per  about  for  months,  like  a  Roman  light-infantry- 
man, "  impediments  relictis,"  unless  he  should  be 
so  ill  advised  as  to  carry  his  wife  and  children 
with  him. 

Throughout  the  rainy  season,  many  diseases 
arise,  and  make  great  destruction  among  those  who 
remain  on  the  sea-coast ;  those  who  can  afford  it, 
retreat  to  the  more  salubrious  mountain  regions, 
while,  as  aforesaid,  those  who  stay  behind,  being 
generally  the  poor,  the  worthless,  and  the  useless 
part  of  the  community,  fall  victims  to  the  numer- 
ous diseases  generated  by  the  excessive  rains,  and 
the  then  swampy  condition  of  the  country.  This 
annual  purgation  of  society,  is  perhaps  another 
blessing  of  a  tropical  country.  I  know  of  more 
than  one  community,  whose  moral,  and  in  some 
measure  physical  health,  would  in  my  mere 
mortal  and  short  sighted  notion  of  the  fitness  of 
things,  be  vastly  benefited  by  the  visitation  of  an 
energetic,  wide  sweeping  epidemic.  Human  soci- 
ety is  very  like  a  grate  full  of  ignited  anthracite 
coal,  those  parts  of  it  that  have  lost  their  com- 
bustibility, and  become  worthless,  are  constantly 
filtering  down  through  the  bottom  of  the  grate ; 
and  so  in  society,  those  individuals,  who  are  daily 
falling  from  a  state  of  grace  in  the  eyes  of  their 
fellow-worms,  either  as  regards  fashion,  or  pro- 
perty, or  reputation,  go  to  swell  the  number  of  the 
outcasts  from  the  ranks  of  "good  society;"  a 
convenient  phrase  that  has  recently  been  invented, 
and  signifies  the  speaker's  own  particular  friends 


108  MORTON. 

and  acquaintances,  though  he  and  they  may  be 
at  that  very  moment  getting  out  stone  on  Black- 
well's  Island.  So  you  see,  reader,  that  it  is  fore- 
ordained, for  I  am  a  good  deal  of  a  fatalist,  that 
one  of  the  ingredients  of  civilized  society  should 
be  a  certain  proportion  of  poor  miserable  devils, 
such  as  you  and  I  both  know. 

It  was  just  at  the  close  of  the  rainy  season, 
when  Nature  looked  infinitely  better  and  fresher 
for  having  her  face  washed,  though  she  had  been 
six  months  about  it ;  the  air  seemed  purer  and 
more  healthful,  and  the  sky  looked  clearer  and 
of  a  richer  blue,  for  the  half  year's  drenching ;  it 
was  at  this  particular  time  of  the  year,  that  we 
have  thought  proper  to  raise  the  curtain,  and  in- 
troduce the  reader  into  the  business  part  of  the 
story. 

It  was  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon,  the  land  breeze  had  done  blowing,  and 
the  usual  interregnum  of  calm,  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  sea-breeze,  had  taken  place 
— the  broad  bay  lay  like  a  huge  mirror,  varied 
indeed  by  the  long  and  regular  undulations  of  the 
swell  from  the  main  ocean,  which,  though  perhaps 
sufficient  to  discompose  a  landman's  stomach, 
would  not  affect  that  of  a  sailor,  who  would  pro- 
bably testify  under  oath,  that  the  water  was  "just 
as  smooth  as  a  mill-pond."  The  pelican,  that 
grave  and  contemplative  bird,  sat  on  the  rocks 
near  the  water's  edge,  with  his  neck  coiled  up  and 
stowed  away  in  some  recess  in  his  capacious  crop, 


MORTON.  109 

the  fish  forgetting,  or  sailed  on  lazy  wings  across 
the  bay,  to  seek  some  sequestered  spot  to  doze 
away  the  time,  and  digest  his  huge  breakfast — the 
graceful  white  crane  of  Mexico  was  wading 
about,  flapping  her  wings,  to  drive  the  small  fish 
into  shoaler  water,  where  she  might  pick  them 
up  at  her  leisure — the  gaudy  Spanish  ensign,  re- 
sembling three  flannel  petticoats,  two  red  and  one 
yellow,  hung  lifeless  by  its  staff,  as  though  said 
petticoats  had  just  got  through  a  hard  day's  wash- 
ing— a  soldier,  with  a  paper  segar  in  his  mouth, 
was  lounging  backwards  and  forwards  on  that 
part  of  the  parapet  of  the  battery  next  the  sea, 
while  another,  his  counterpart,  was  "doing  mili- 
tary duty"  in  the-  same  soldierly  manner  on  the 
quay  opposite. 

I  may  as  well  explain  to  the  reader  now  as  at  a 
future  time,  that  every  collection  of  houses  in 
South  America,  however  small,  has  an  open  space 
in  the  centre,  called  the  Plaza ;  and  an  American 
Spaniard  could  no  more  conceive  of  a  town  or 
village  without  such  plaza,  than  he  could  form  one 
of  Mr.  Locke's  abstract  ideas  of  a  horse,  which 
ceases  to  be  an  abstract  idea  the  moment  it  becomes 
invested  with  a  body,  head,  legs,  mane,  tail,  sad- 
dle, bridle,  belly-band,  or  crupper. 

In  the  plaza  of  the  Porte  before  mentioned  was  a 
multifarious  assemblage :  the  barrack  for  a  cap- 
tain's guard,  with  the  arms  of  the  guard  piled  in 
front  of  it.  formed  one  side,  and  the  others  were 
bounded  by  the  quay  or  different  buildings ;  a 


110  MORTON. 

detachment  of  idlers  were  sunning  themselves,  and 
engaged  in  relieving  each  other  from  certain  trou- 
blesome companions,  that  invariably  infest  the 
clothes  and  hair  of  all  Spaniards  and  Russians, 
from  the  king  to  the  beggar  ;  jackasses,  boys,  and 
dogs  occupied  the  rest  of  the  square,  and  were  dif- 
ferently engaged.  At  this  moment  a  sergeant  ran 
into  the  square,  exclaiming,  "  el  Commandante  !" 
The  military  guard  fell  into  their  ranks  at  the  tap 
of  the  drum,  the  idlers  and  boys  took  up  a  strong 
position  in  one  corner,  the  jackasses  were  cud- 
gelled into  a  retreat,  while  the  dogs,  like  the  pigs 
in  New  York,  being  free  of  the  city,  provided  for 
themselves.  A  moment  or  two  elapsed  after  these 
preparations  had  been  made,  when  a  party  of 
mounted  officers  dashed  into  the  square  at  full 
gallop,  as  the  South  Americans  always  ride.  The 
guard  presented  arms,  the  dogs  barked  their  con- 
gratulations, and  the  party,  having  lighted  fresh 
segars,  walked  down  to  the  quay,  directly  opposite 
which  lay  an  old  dismantled  Spanish  frigate,  and 
moored  alongside  her  was  a  schooner,  whose  for- 
midable length  of  main  boom,  and  raking  masts, 
announced  her  both  a  clipper  and  a  Yankee,  She 
was  indeed  an  American  schooner,  that  had  been 
taken  "flagrante  delicto,"  in  the  very  act  of  smug- 
gling, for  which  she  was  condemned,  and  her  crew 
sent  to  the  mines.  Such  was  the  jealousy  of  the 
"  authorities,"  that  they  unshipped  the  rudder,  and 
unrove  the  running  rigging,  for  fear  she  might  go 
to  sea  of  her  own  accord,  and  resume  her  smug- 


MORTON.  Ill 

gling  voyage  without  the  assistance  of  human 
agency. 

The  party  whom  we  have  left  smoking  on  the 
wharf,  consisted  of  the  military  commandant,  or 
governor,  of  St.  Bias,  Don  Gaspar  de  Luna,  Don 
Diego  Pinto,  the  commander  of  a  gnarda-costa  of 
eighteen  guns,  that  lay  in  the  offing,  and  which,  to 
the  most  unpractised  eye,  bore  about  the  same 
resemblance  to  an  English  or  American  man  of 
war  of  the  same  class,  as  an  old,  worn-out  jackass 
does  to  a  handsome,  high  spirited,  well  groomed 
race-horse.  The  rest  of  the  group  was  made  up 
of  young  officers  "of  no  mark  or  likelihood,"  and 
with  whom  we  have  nothing  to  do,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Don  Gregorio  Nunez,  a  dashing  young 
cavalry  officer,  related  to  the  viceroy,  report  said 
his  natural  son,  and  report  said  too  that  he  was 
soon  to  marry  the  lovely  niece  of  the  governor;  but 
the  destinies  were  altogether  of  a  different  way  of 
thinking.  His  character  may  be  despatched  in  a 
few  words — he  was  a  vain  coxcomb,  his  whole 
soul  lay  in  his  gorgeous  uniform,  and  he  had  a 
mortal  antipathy  to  any  thing  like  duty. 

Don  Gaspar  de  Luna,  the  redoubted  governor  of 
St.  Bias  and  its  "  dependencies,"  bore  the  rank  of 
colonel  in  the  Spanish  army.  He  had  seen  some 
service,  having  been  present  at  the  memorable 
siege  of  Gibraltar,  that  excited  first  the  astonish- 
ment and  then  the  ridicule  of  all  Europe — astonish- 
ment at  the  immensity  of  the  armament  prepared, 
and  ridicule  on  account  of  its  inefficiency,  in 


112  MORTON. 

wasting  years  before  the  place  without  doing  any 
thing.  An  advanced  party  commanded  by  Don 
Gaspar,  then  a  captain,  had  the  good  fortune  to 
get  soundly  thrashed  by  a  sallying  detachment 
from  the  garrison  ;  and  the  king  of  Spain  was  so 
delighted  that  something  had  been  done,  that  he 
promoted  the  fortunate  captain  to  a  colonelcy. 

In  early  life  he  had  been  in  America  with  his 
regiment,  where  he  had  married  a  native  Peruvian 
woman,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters.  In  per- 
son he  was  about  the  middling  height,  and  so  far 
resembled  an  ellipse  as  this,  that  his  transverse 
diameter  nearly  equalled  his  conjugate,  or,  in  plain 
English,  he  was  about  as  broad  as  long.  He  prided 
himself  not  a  little  upon  being  a  "  Casliliano,"  or 
genuine  old  Spaniard,  and  professed,  and  probably 
felt,  the  most  implacable  hatred  to  all  heretics, 
especially  English  and  Americans ;  but  it  was 
evidently  an  abstract  feeling,  for  the  moment  a 
vessel  of  either  nation  arrived,  which  happened 
very  often  during  the  dry  season,  and  the  com- 
manders began  to  make  those  little  presents  that 
they  always  found  it  for  their  interest  to  make,  his 
orthodox  zeal  began,  like  Bob  Acres'  courage,  "to 
ooze  away  through  his  fingers." 

Although  in  the  main  a  kind  and  indulgent 
father,  his  affections  were  centred  in  his  niece,  of 
whom  we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  more  at 
large,  whom  he  preferred  to  his  daughter,  and  with 
good  reason.  He  was  fond  of  punch,  such  as  he 
used  to  find  in  plenty  and  perfection  on  board  the 


MORTON.  113 

strange  ships,  and  which  he  could  drill  none  of 
his  household  into  the  art  and  mystery  of  making, 
except  his  niece ;  fonder  of  flattery,  and  compli- 
ment, and  salutes,  from  the  heretical  captains  ;  and 
perhaps  fondest  of  all  of  invitations  to  dine  on 
board  such  ships  as  seemed  to  hold  out  hopes  of 
good  cheer.  When  a  foreign  vessel  arrived,  one 
would  think,  from  his  parade  and  flourish,  that  he 
expected  an  invasion ;  but  it  was  all  show.  He 
was  fond  of  telling  long  stories,  and  of  sitting  long 
over  the  bottle,  foregoing  the  usual  luxury  of  the 
siesta,  or  nap  after  dinner,  to  enjoy  the  greater  one 
of  drinking  ;  but,  although  his  capacious  stomach 
would  contain  an  incredible  quantity  of  wine,  no 
one  could  say  that  he  had  ever  been  seen  "  the 
worse  for  liquor." 

The  duties  of  his  station  were  but  trifling  ;  for, 
although  St.  Bias  was  a  royal  naval  depot,  the 
commanders  of  his  majesty's  ships  almost  invari- 
ably preferred  Callao,  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to 
the  viceregal  court  at  Lima.  Any  other  person 
would  have  pined  to  death  in  such  a  remote  and 
solitary  corner  of  the  earth,  without  society  and 
without  employment ;  but  Don  Gaspar  was  one  of 
those  peculiarly  constituted  individuals,  who,  hav- 
ing neither  the  faculty  to  communicate  or  receive 
new  ideas,  are  as  happy  and  contented  in  one  place 
as  another.  He  had  come  down  to  the  water  side 
at  full  gallop,  and  at.  the  imminent  risk  of  his  neck) 
in  consequence  of  a  report,  that  a  large,  armed 
10 


114  MORTON. 

English  ship,  that  was  known  to  be  on  the  coast 
trading,  was  approaching  <he  Bay  of  St.  Bias. 

The  nautical  commander,  Don  Diego  Pinto,  was 
a  man  of  upwards  of  sixty  years  of  age,  who  had 
grown  grey  in  the  navy  of  Spain,  without  seeing 
any  service  of  consequence.  He  had  followed  one 
of  the  viceroys,  to  whom  he  was  recommended,  to 
Peru,  and  the  viceroy  thought  he  had  sufficiently 
done  his  duty  to  his  protege,  by  appointing  him  to 
the  command  of  a  guarda-costa  of  eighteen  guns, 
stationed  at  St.  Bias,  and  including  in  her  cruising 
ground  St.  Josef,  Mazattan,  and  the  entrance  to 
the  Gulf  of  California.  His  prey  was  good,  and 
his  duty  was  light ; '  but  all  his  hopes  of  promotion 
were  cut  off  by  being  stationed  at  what  was  gene- 
rally considered  the  "ultima  Thule,"  the  very  ex- 
tremity of  the  navigable  world. 

The  Yankees,  to  be  sure,  scorned  any  such  fan- 
ciful restrictions,  and  had  long  since  penetrated  to 
Nootka  Sound  and  Behring's  Straits,  "  the  hunters 
of  the  mighty  whale  ;"  but  then  the  Yankees  were 
a  very  singular  and  peculiar  race,  and  nobody  in 
their  senses  cared  to  imitate  them  in  their  wild, 
and  sometimes  lawless,  rambles  over  the  face  of 
the  ocean — lawless,  I  wish  tofcbe  understood,  no 
farther  than  in  sometimes  forgetting  to  inquire,  in 
a  strange  port,  whether  there  was  any  custom- 
house there  or  not,  and  in  most  ports  conceiving 
it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  collectors  of  the  customs  to 
come  on  board  and  secure  the  duties,  and  if  said 
collectors  did  not  bear  a  hand  and  attend  to  their 


MORTON.  115 

business,  why  then  Jonathan,  who  is  always  in  a 
hurry,  was  apt  to  land  his  cargo  without  the  know- 
ledge and  without  the  leave  of  the  custom-house 
officers. 

Don  Diego's  hatred  to  heretics  and  foreigners, 
unlike  that  of  the  illustrious  governor,  was  cordial 
and  sincere,  and  by  no  means  a  general  or  abstract 
principle— he  hated  every  individual  as  heartily  as 
he  did  the  whole  species.  He  would  never  accept 
or  even  reply  to  an  invitation  from  an  English  or 
American  commander  ;  and  in  the  case  of  the 
American  schooner  already  mentioned,  he  had 
treated  the  crew  with  such  savage  barbarity,  that, 
but  for  the  interference  of  Don  Caspar,  they  would 
have  perished  from  starvation  and  ill  treatment. 
He  was  by  no  means  a  favorite  guest  at  the  gover- 
nor's house  ;  the  ladies  of  the  family  detested  him, 
not  so  much  for  his  cruelty,  for  they  heard  but 
little  of  that,  but  for  his  morose  and  churlish  dis- 
position, arid,  perhaps  more  than  either,  on  account 
of  the  general  belief  that  his  wife,  a  lovely  woman, 
and  much  younger  than  himself,  had  fallen  a  vic- 
tim to  his  unkindness  and  cruelty. 

Women,  the  dear  creatures,  have  an  infinitely 
larger  share  of  esprit  du  corps,  if  I  may  so  call  it, 
or  rather  a  community  of  feeling,  than  men.  No- 
thing will  ruin  a  man's  character  and  good  name 
among  the  females  of  his  acquaintance  so  soon  or 
so  effectually  as  the  reputation  of  ill  treatment  or 
unkindness  to  his  wife,  while  the  men  would  think 
but  little  or  nothing  of  it.  Women  think,  and  feel, 


116  MORTON. 

and  act  most  correctly  and  justly,  and  in  a  manner 
that  does  them  infinite  honor,  upon  this  subject ;  in- 
deed, I  am  fully  convinced,  that  on  most  questions 
of  social  morality,  the  feelings  of  women  are  more 
pure  and  right  than  those  of  men.  But  they  have 
a  thousand  ingenious  methods  of  making  known 
their  contempt  and  detestation  of  the  cowardly 
scoundrel  that  would  raise  his  hand  against  one  of 
their  sex,  and  every  method  cuts  like  a  two-edged 
sword.  I  have  known,  and  do  at  this  moment 
know,  many  men  who  have  endured  the  contempt 
and  hatred  of  their  fellow-mew  with  the  most  stoical 
indifference — they  went  on  hated  and  despised  to 
the  grave,  but  they  made  money  at  every  step,  and 
they  cared  for  nothing  else  ;  but  I  never,  in  all  my 
life,  and  in  all  my  wanderings — and  I  have  not 
travelled  about  this  watery  ball,  nor  so  far  through 
life,  with  my  eyes  and  ears  shut — I  never  knew  a 
man  who  did  not  wince  and  writhe  under  the 
hatred  and  contempt  of  the  other  sex.  I  am  not 
a  profound  believer  in  innate  ideas,  if  they  are 
such  ridiculous  ones  as  metaphysicians  talk  of — 
namely,  that  two  and  two  make  four,  and  such 
sort  of  nonsense — but  I  do  believe  in  certain 
innate  principles  and  feelings,  that  govern  our 
thoughts  and  actions  as  powerfully  and  irresistibly 
as  instinct  impels  the  brute  creation  ;  and  that  one 
of  those  principles  is  an  innate  desire  to  please  and 
secure  the  good  opinion  of  the  opposite  sex,  born 
with  every  man  and  woman,  or  at  least  developed, 
more  or  less  strongly,  in  very  early  childhood, 


MORTON,  117 

and  that  too  without  any  instruction  or  hint  from 
others. 

While  the  party  stood  on  the  quay,  puffing  their 
segars  with  all  the  gravity  and  silence  that  was 
becoming  their  rank  and  birth  as  officers  of  his 
Catholic  Majesty  and  natives  of  old  Spain,  a  sub- 
altern officer  approached,  and,  with  abundance  of 
parade  and  obsequiousness,  informed  the  governor 
that  there  was  a  ship  in  the  offing,  becalmed  at 
that  time,  but  apparently  bound  in.  The  officer 
proceeded  to  inform  him  farther,  that  there  were 
two  American  ships  at  St.  Josef,  one  at  Monteny, 
and  that  a  fourth  had  been  seen  the  day  before  at 
sea,  standing  to  the  southward.  His  excellency, 
though  not  particularly  indignant  at  the  idea  of 
his  principality  being  visited  by  a  foreign  vessel, 
thought  proper  to  appear  "  brimful  of  wrath"  at 
the  intelligence. 

"  Ah !  those  accursed  and  heretical  wretches  ! 
they  swarm  upon  this  coast  as  thick  as  sandflies." 

"And  should  be  destroyed  by  the  same  means, 
by  fire,"  growled  his  naval  associate  ;  "  they  should 
be  burnt  at  their  anchors  wherever  they  are  found; 
for  if  they  have  not  already  been  guilty  of  any 
violation  of  the  laws,  they  very  soon  will." 

"  Signor  Pinto,"  said  the  more  humane  and  con- 
siderate governor,  "  you  are  to  recollect  that  our 
gracious  sovereign  is  on  terms  of  peace  and  amity 
with  this  new  people,  who  have  lately  come  into 
existence,  and  who  seem  to  be  driven  by  the  devils 
to  wander  abroad,  instead  of  passing  their  lives 
10* 


118  MORTON. 

peaceably  at  home.  We  cannot  therefore  treat 
them  as  enemies ;  and  even  when  taken  in  viola- 
tion of  the  laws,  they  must  be  heard  in  their  own 
defence." 

This  grave  rebuke  rather  mortified  him  of  the 
marine  department,  and  he  was  for  a  few  minutes 
sulky,  which  the  governor  perceiving,  and  not 
wishing  to  offend  him,  again  addressed  him. 

"  But  come,  signor,  cheer  up.  I  know  the  sight 
of  that  schooner  always  makes  you  feel  unplea- 
santly ;  you  cannot  forget  how  she  misled  you  one 
dark  night,  and  well  nigh  decoyed  your  ship  ashore, 
by  setting  adrift  a  light  in  a  tub." 

This  was  but  cold  comfort  to  the  redoubtable 
sea-officer,  who  was-  by  no  means  fond  of  hearing 
the  anecdote  of  the  lantern  in  a  tub  repeated  or 
alluded  to ;  and  he  was  about  making  an  angry 
answer,  when  the  sight  of  the  schooner  brought 
to  his  recollection  that  he  had  finally  captured  her, 
and  had  enjoyed  the  fiendish  pleasure  of  abusing 
and  maltreating  her  crew,  and  that,  to  crown  his 
triumph,  he  had  seen  them  set  out  for  the  mines. 
Poor  man  !  he  did  not  know,  what  indeed  was  a 
kind  of  state  secret,  that  the  viceroy,  not  wishing 
to  embroil  his  sovereign  in  an  uftpleasant  quarrel, 
or,  as  he  was  about  returning  to  old  Spain/ wish- 
ing to  leave  behind  him  a  character  for  clemency 
and  humanity,  had  ordered  them  to  be  set  at 
liberty,  and  they  had  actually  embarked  at  Aca- 
pulco  on  board  an  English  South  Sea  whaler. 
This  had  taken  place  a  full  year  previous ;  and 


MORTON.  110 

while  the  vindictive  Spaniard  was  chuckling  over 
their  fancied  sufferings  "  many  a  fathom  deep"  in 
the  damp  and  unhealthy  galleries  of  a  silver  mine, 
the  objects  of  his  hatred  were  jogging  along  com- 
fortably towards  London,  with  a  full  ship  and 
light  hearts. 

In  reply  to  the  governor's  "  quip  modest,"  he 
merely  growled  out  something  about  zeal  in  dis- 
charging his  duty,  and  anxiety  to  prevent  smug- 
gling, to  which  the  governor  replied, 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  these  foreigners  smug- 
gling, while  they  are  so  strictly  watched  by  his 
majesty's  ships  and  faithful  soldiers.  I  wish,  sig- 
nor,  you  would  go  out  with  your  ship,  and  bring 
this  stranger  in  ;  I  do  not  like  to  see  him  hovering 
about  in  this  suspicious  manner." 

"It  is  impossible  to  go  out,  now  that  the  sea- 
breeze  is  just  setting  in,"  said  the  naval  officer, 
who  had  no  more  idea  of  working  out  with  a 
head  wind,  than  he  had  of  flying,  though  the  bay 
is  open  enough  for  the  channel  fleet  to  beat  out  in 
order  of  battle. 

While  this  question  was  in  agitation,  an  officer 
crossed  in  a  skiff  from  the  battery,  and  informed 
Don  Gaspar  that  the  sea-breeze  had  set  in  in  the 
offing,  and  that  the  stranger  had  hauled  by  the 
wind,  and  was  standing  oif  shore ;  farther,  that 
she  was  an  American  whaleman,  that  had  pro- 
bably pursued  her  huge  prey  close  in  shore.  Don 
Gaspar  was  somewhat  disappointed  at  this  intelli- 
gence. 


MO  MORTON. 

"  I  almost  wish  she  had  come  in,"  said  he,  in  a 
low  tone,  "  for,  heretics  as  they  are,  and  damned 
to  all  eternity  as  they  certainly  will  be,  (for  which 
blessed  be  the  saints,)  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the 
puncho,  or  pontio,  which  they  make,  is  most  re- 
freshing and  delicious  in  this  warm  weather." 

But  as  the  Yankee  manifested  no  symptoms  of 
coming  in  to  anchor,  and  thereby  give  him  a 
chance  for  his  glass  of  punch,  he  yielded  to  the 
suggestion  of  Don  Gregorio,  his  aid-de-camp ;  and 
having  lighted  fresh  segars,  they  mounted  their 
horses,  and  rode  back  to  San  Bias. 


CHAPTER    III. 

A  lady 

So  fair,  and  tastened  to  an  empery) 
Would  make  the  great'st  king  double. 

CYMBKLINK, 

THE  family  of  Don  Gaspar  de  Luna  consisted  of 
his  wife,  whom  we  have  already  noticed  as  a  na- 
tive of  Mexico,  and  two  daughters,  Antonia  and 
Carlota,  who  were  rather  pretty  for  Creole  girls, 
and,  like  the  generality  of  Creoles,  especially  when 
one  half  is  Spanish,  extremely  ignorant  and  vul- 
gar in  their  language  and  manners ;  the  last  trait 
being  somewhat  characteristic  of  the  Spanish- 
American  women,  if  we  may  believe  travellers,  to 
which  I  may  add  my  own  somewhat  limited  ob- 
servation. They  are,  however,  by  way  of  amends, 
more  civilized  and  sociable  in  their  behaviour  to 
strangers,  and  much  more  intelligent,  than  the 
men. 

The  lovely  niece  of  the  governor,  the  orphan 
daughter  of  his  brother,  made  up  the  list  of  his 
family.  As  we  have  no  great  concern  with  the 
old  lady  and  her  two  daughters,  we  have  men- 
tioned them  first,  in  order  to  get  them  out  of  our 
way ;  but  as  the  fair  Isabella  will  make  some 
figure  in  our  pages,  we  can  do  no  less  than  devote 


182  MORTON. 

a  chapter,  or  part  of  a  chapter,  to  giving  some  ac- 
count and  description  of  her,  more  particularly  as 
she  differs,  toto  ccelo,  from  her  cousins,  morally, 
and,  in  many  respects,  physically. 

Isabella  de  Luna  was  the  daughter  of  Signer 
Anastasio  de  Luna,  the  only  brother  of  Don  Gas- 
par.  He  was  an  eminent  merchant  of  Cadiz,  who, 
having  found  it  necessary  to  go  to  London  on  bu- 
siness, had  afterwards  found  it  equally  necessary 
to  remain  there  for  some  time,  to  attend  to  his 
mercantile  affairs.  Here  he  became  acquainted 
with  a  Miss  Campbell,  a  Scotch  lady  of  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  very  beautiful,  but  poor.  Her 
father  had  been  taken  prisoner  at  the  defeat  of  the 
Pretender's  army  at  Culloden,  in  which  army  he 
was  an  officer,  and  immediately  executed  without 
a  trial,  by  the  blood-thirsty  and  infamous  Duke  of 
Cumberland.  Her  mother  died  of  grief  a  few 
months  afterwards,  leaving  her  an  infant,  and  the 
sole  surviving  member  of  a  proscribed  and  ruined 
family.  She  was  taken,  from  mere  compassion, 
by  a  distant  relation  of  her  father,  and  carefully 
brought  up  in  the  Protestant  faith,,  her  parents 
having  been  Catholics. 

When  about  twenty  years  old,  she  accompanied 
her  relation  to  London,  and  had  resided  there 
some  years,  when  she  was  introduced  to  and  cap- 
tivated Signor  Anastasio,  and  after  a  long  court- 
ship, and  considerable  reluctance  on  the  part  of 
the  lady,  because  the  lover  was  at  least  nominally 
a  Catholic,  she  became  his  wife.  They  lived  long 


MORTON.  133 

and  happily  together,  for  whether  Anastasio's  reli- 
gious opinions  had  undergone  any  change  or  not, 
by  associating  so  many  years  with  Protestants,  he 
never  interfered  with  his  wife's  religious  creed  or 
devotions,  and  permitted  her  to  educate,  in  the 
Protestant  faith,  their  only  child  Isabella. 

I  would  advise  all  husbands  to  do  likewise,  in 
some  measure ;  that  is,  if  the  wife  thinks  proper 
to  perform  her  devotions  in  a  Pagan  temple,  a 
Mahometan  mosque,  a  Jewish  synagogue,  or  a 
Christian  church,  why,  let  her,  and  welcome,  un- 
less the  husband  is  particularly  anxious  to  get 
into  hot  water,  and  commit  suicide  upon  his  do- 
mestic happiness ;  for  nothing  so  effectually  dis- 
turbs the  tranquillity  of  a  family,  as  open  opposi- 
tion of  religious  creeds.  Women  become  reli- 
gious, in  the  every-day  acceptation  of  the  word, 
from  any  motive  rather  than  a  conviction  of  the 
truth  or  reasonableness  of  any  particular  creed. 
It  would  be  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  to  define 
the  motive  that  carries  women  into  the  pale  of  any 
particular  church.  I  have  heard  of  an  old  lady, 
who  was  very  anxious  to  be.  permitted  to  carry 
her  knitting-work  to  meeting,  "  because  it  was 
such  a  steadiment  to  the  mind."  Perhaps  join- 
ing the  church  has  the  same  effect  upon  women 
in  general.  I  have  seen  so  much  discomfort  in 
families  from  conflicting  religious  opinions,  that  I 
cannot  help  hoping  that  the  destinies  will  so  con- 
trive it,  that  my  wife,  if  they  ever  mean  to  send 
me  one  at  all,  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 


134  MORTON. 

church.  There  is  about  that  church,  what  at- 
taches to  no  other  sect,  a  sort  of  dignified  reserve, 
that  never  breaks  out  in  four-day  meetings,  revi- 
vals, or  any  other  similar  ebullition  of  fanaticism 
and  absurdity. 

When  Isabella  was  in  her  fourteenth  year,  her 
father  returned  to  his  native  country,  taking  his 
family  with  him,  having  given  up  his  mercantile 
business,  and  retiring  from  it  very  wealthy.  The 
priests,  as  might  have  been  expected,  were  soon 
around  him,  like  sharks  around  a  slave-ship,  all 
eager  to  discover,  in  his  conversation  and  man- 
ners, the  contamination  of  heresy,  with  which 
they  took  it  for  granted  he  was  infected,  from 
having  dwelt  so  long  among  those  obstinate  and 
perverse  heretics,  the  English  ;  but  Anastasio  was 
too  well  acquainted  with  human  nature,  and  with 
the  ways  of  the  world,  to  be  thrown  off  his  ofuard. 
He  gave  most  munificently  to  the  church  ;  and, 
in  spite  of  all  their  attempts  to  place  Isabella  in 
a  convent,  as  a  boarder,  succeeded  in  retaining 
her  under  the  immediate  care  of  her  excellent 
mother. 

In  making  this  arrangement,  he  was  much  as- 
sisted by  a  priest,  whom  he  had  formerly  been 
acquainted  with,  and  whom  he  now  took  into  his 
family,  as  father  confessor.  In  short,  by  the  judi- 
cious management  of  pretty  largre  sums  of  money, 
that  he  was  able  to  spare,  in  less  than  a  year  after 
his  return  to  Spain,  Anastasio  de  Luna  obtained 
the  character  of  a  good  Catholic,  who  had  kept 


MORTON.  125 

fast  the  integrity  of  his  faith,  during  a  long  resi- 
dence among  heretics.  As  for  Madame  de  Luna, 
after  having  delivered  her  over  in  trust  to  the 
devil,  the  clergy  gave  themselves  little  or  no  con- 
cern about  her  ;  though  her  liberal  charity,  and 
the  mildness  and  sweetness  of  her  disposition, 
made  her  friends  of  all  who  knew  her.  Many  a 
saint,  of  the  present  day,  holds  his  character  for 
sanctity  by  as  slight  a  tenure,  as  Anastasio  did 
his  as  an  orthodox  Catholic  ;  and  many  a  modest, 
unpretending  female,  has  been,  like  Madame  de 
Luna,  regarded  as  an  infidel,  and  a  vessel  of 
wrath,  for  not  sounding  a  trumpet  before  her,  in 
the  exercise  of  unassuming  virtues. 

In  about  three  years  after  his  return  to  his 
native  country,  Anastasio  died,  bequeathing  a 
large  sum  to  the  church,  not  from  any  violent 
partiality  to  the  Catholic  faith,  but  in  order  to  se- 
cure peace  to  his  wife  and  daughter.  His  widow 
intended  to  return  to  England;  but  her  health 
was  failing  rapidly,  and  in  a  little  more  than  a 
year  after  her  husband's  death,  she  followed  him 
to  the  grave,  with  her  last  breath  enjoining  upon 
her  daughter  never  to  part  with  the  faith  in  which 
she  had  been  educated,  and  never  to  marry  a 
Catholic,  unless  she  was  sure  of  the  purity  and 
goodness  of  his  morals.  This  might  seem  illi- 
beral in  her  ;  but  there  is  no  accounting  for  the 
prejudices  of  people,  especially  upon  religious 
subjects. 

After  her  mother's  death,  Isabella  had  no  alter- 
11 


126  MORTON. 

native  left,  but  to  take  refuge  in  the  family  of  her 
uncle,  Don  Gaspar,  who  had  already  shown  great 
fondness  for  her,  and  who  received  her  with  great 
cordiality  and  affection.  In  this  family  she  was 
permitted  to  do  much  as  she  pleased  ;  her  gentle 
and  amiable  disposition  soon  won  the  warmest 
affections  of  her  aunt  and  cousins,  and  her  time 
passed  agreeably,  except  that  she  was  sometimes 
teased  by  the  reverend  clergy  to  enter  a  convent, 
and  to  "  dedicate  herself  to  God ;"  but  as  the 
young  lady  thought  she  could  serve  God  to  better 
purpose  out  of  a  convent  than  in  one,  she  civilly 
declined  their  polite  invitations  to  shut  herself  in  a 
dungeon. 

The  same  priest  who  befriended  her  father,  ex- 
tended his  kindness  to  the  daughter.  He  was  a 
very  influential  clergyman,  secretly  of  very  liberal 
and  enlightened  views,  on  the  subject  of  religion  ; 
but,  not  perceiving  any  pressing  necessity  for 
giving  his  body  to  be  burnt,  he  had  thought  best 
to  keep  his  religious  notions  to  himself.  He  might 
very  easily  have  "gained  a  martyr's  glorious 
name,"  if  he  had  only  been  one  of  those 

"  Stubborn  saints,  whom  all  men  grant 
To  be  the  true  church  militant;" 

but  he  was  not ;  and,  besides,  martyrdom  is  not 
near  so  fashionable  as  it  was  during  the  time  of 
the  Roman  emperors,  when  one  saint  insisted 
upon  being  crucified  heels  uppermost ;  and  ano- 


MORTON.  127 

ther,  who  was  very  comfortably  broiling  on  a 
gridiron,  sung  out  to  be  turned,  when  he  thought 
he  was  cooked  enough  on  one  side.  Our  clergy 
are  a  grave,  serious,  set  of  men,  who  scorn  such 
mad  pranks  ;  they  have  no  idea  of  suffering  mar- 
tyrdom, or  any  thing  else,  if  they  can  help  it.  I 
believe  there  have  been  no  martyrs  since  the 
commencement  of  the  nineteenth  century,  except 
Mr.  Wolff,  who  was  bastinadoed  by  the  Pacha  of 
Egypt,  for  interfering  with  what  did  not  concern 
him,  and  some  ten  or  a  dozen  missionaries,  that 
would  not  do  something  the  Cochin  Chinese  bid 
them,  and  were,  in  consequence,  made  shorter  by 
the  head. 

The  good  priest  interposed  his  good  offices,  and 
influence,  in  Isabella's  behalf,  and  gave  her  in- 
structions in  such  branches  of  education  as  he 
thought  were  suited  to  her  sex.  But,  in  about  a 
year  after  her  mother's  death,  Don  Gaspar  re- 
ceived his  appointment,  as  military  commander 
of  St.  Bias,  which,  as  I  have  already  observed, 
was  then  a  royal  depot  and  arsenal ;  and,  though 
but  seldom  visited  by  Spanish  men-of-war,  because 
there  were  but  very  few,  besides  guarda-costas,  in 
the  Pacific,  was  a  place  of  considerable  import- 
ance. Isabella  cheerfully  accompanied  him  to 
America;  for,  though  neither  giddy,  nor  thought- 
less, all  places  were  alike  to  her,  provided  she 
could  be  always  surrounded  with  her  uncle's 
family,  with  whom  she  enjoyed  quiet  happiness. 


123  MORTON, 

In  the  priests  of  Mexico,  she  saw  nothing  but 
ignorance,  sensuality,  bigotry,  and  indolence,  no- 
thing calculated  to  shake  her  faith  as  a  Protes- 
tant, or  cause  her  to  forget  her  mother's  first  in- 
junction ;  while  the  foppishness,  frivolity,  inso- 
lence, ignorance,  and  pride,  of  the  men,  by  whom 
she  was  surrounded,  most  effectually  protected 
her  from  the  remotest  thought  of  disobeying  the 
second.  The  men,  on  the  other  hand,  regarded 
her  with  the  coolest  indifference  ;  accustomed  to 
admire  the  black  eyes,  and  hair,  and  colorless 
complexions  of  the  Spanish  and  native,  or  Creole, 
women,  varying  from  a  sort  of  dirty  cream  color, 
to  a  deep  and  beautiful  copper,  Isabella's  rather 
lightish  brown  hair,  blue  eyes,  fair  complexion, 
and  cheeks  rosy  with  health  and  cheerfulness, 
had  no  charms  for  them  ;  and,  while  her  cousins 
had  lovers,  or  danglers,  by  the  dozen,  Isabella 
found  herself,  to  her  infinite  satisfaction,  com- 
pletely deserted  and  neglected,  by  all  the  starched 
and  pompous  fools  that  visited  her  uncle,  during 
a  stay  of  some  months  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 

She  had,  on  the  arrival  of  the  family  at  St.  Bias, 
contrived  to  employ  her  time  in  cultivating  such 
female  accomplishments  as  her  mother  had  in- 
structed her  in,  and  was,  at  the  time  we  introduce 
her  to  the  reader's  notice,  in  her  twentieth  year. 
In  person,  she  was  about  the  medium  height  of. 
women,  or,  perhaps,  a  little  below  it ;  and  would 
be  called,  in  New  England,  rather  a  small  woman. 
Her  form  was  exceedingly  well-proportioned  and 


MORTON.  129 

beautiful,  although,  what  may  seem  incredible,  it 
had  never  been  cramped,  crushed,  and  distorted, 
by  tight  lacing,  of  which  her  mother  had  a  very 
reasonable  horror  ;  and,  in  consequence,  her 
movements  were  free,  graceful,  and  unconfined. 

I  know  very  well  that  the  idea  of  a  lady's 
form  being  beautiful,  unless  moulded  by  corsets 
into  the  form  of  a  ship's  half-minute  glass,  will 
be  scouted  as  absurd  and  impossible ;  but  to  the 
ridicule  that  such  a  proposition  must  necessarily 
excite,  I  can  oppose  my  own  observation,  leaving 
antiquity,  with  its  faultless  statues  and  sculptures, 
to  shift  for  itself.  The  Hindoo  women,  of  whom 
I  have  seen  hundreds  at  once  bathing  in  the 
Hoogly,  of  all  ages,  from  childhood  to  decrepi- 
tude, have  extremely  fine  forms,  when  young, 
that  is  from  twelve  to  twenty-two  or  three,  at 
which  period  they  have  all  the  marks  of  old  age. 
As  they  bathe  with  only  a  single  thin  cotton  gar- 
ment, which,  when  wet,  sticks  close  to  their  bo- 
dies, and  developes  their  forms  most  completely, 
any  body  that  visits  Calcutta  can  satisfy  himself 
of  the  correctness  of  this  fact,  and  yet  they  tole- 
rate no  sort  of  confinement  whatever  about  the 
person. 

Isabella's  face  was  of  an  oval  form,  with  an  ex- 
quisitely delicate  and  fair  complexion  ;  when  her 
features  were  at  rest,  the  expression  was  quiet  and 
serious,  rather  bordering  upon  the  pensive,  a  cast 
of  countenance  that  she  inherited  from  her  mother ; 
but  her  smile  was  exceedingly  attractive,  with  an 
11* 


ISO  MORTON. 

air  of  frankness  and  innocence  attending  it,  that 
made  it  perfectly  fascinating.  Her  eyes  were  of 
a  deep  blue,  that,  in  conversation  or  when  any 
emotion  agitated  the  tranquillity  of  their  owner, 
were  extremely  lively,  animated,  and  sparkling. 
Her  eyebrows  were  very  delicately  traced,  slightly 
curved  but  not  arched,  as  poets  and  others  rave 
about — I  never  saw  a  pair  that  were,  on  forehead 
male  or  female,  except  among  the  Chinese,  and 
they,  in  consequence,  looked  like — no  matter  who 
— nor  can  I  imagine  how  arched  brows  can  be 
beautiful. 

It  was  not  the  fashion,  forty  years  since,  for  girts 
to  cut  off  their  hair  and  sell  it  to  a  barber  for  fifty 
cents,  and  then  give  ten  dollars  for  a  set  of  arti- 
ficial curls,  nor  was  it  fashionable  in  Mexico  to 
wear  false  hair  j  if  it  had  been,  nature  had  been 
so  bountiful  to  Isabella  in  that  beautiful  ornament 
and  pride  (it  ought  to  be)  of  a  woman,  that  she 
could  save  the  expense  by  the  arrangement  of  her 
own  luxuriant  tresses. 

Her  temper  was  mild,  and  by  no  means  easily 
ruffled ;  her  disposition  was  gentle,  humane,  amia- 
ble, and  cheerful,  though  seldom  or  never  break- 
ing out  into  extravagant  gaiety.  Like  all  young 
ladies  of  her  age,  who  have  much  unemployed 
time  on  their  hands,  and  I  believe  the  same  remark 
will  apply  to  young  men  similarly  situated,  she 
had  experienced  a  void,  a  want  of  something  in 
the  heart,  that  she  felt  acutely  enough,  but  could 
neither  describe  nor  account  for;  that  peculiar 


MORTON.  131 

feeling  that  certainly  is  not  love,  but  a  symptom 
of  the  wish  to  love  and  be  beloved ;  it  is  that  state 
of  the  heart  when  the  affections  go  forth,  like 
Noah's  dove,  and  finding  no  object  on  which  to 
repose,  return  weary  and  dejected  to  their  lonely 
prison. 

It  is  an  old  adage,  that  "  when  the  devil  finds  a 
man  idle,  he  sets  him  to  work ;"  when  love  finds 
a  heart  unoccupied,  he  soon  finds  it  a  tenant,  for 
it  always  has  been,  is  now,  and  always  will  be 
true,  that 

"  Love  is  a  fire  that  burns  and  sparkles, 
In  men  as  nat'rally  as  in  charcoals." 

Isabella,  almost  without  knowing  it,  and  with- 
out the  faintest  suspicion  of  the  real  state  of  the 
case,  gradually  neglected  and  ceased  to  take  plea- 
sure in  her  usual  occupations  ;  her  books,  her 
music,  her  needle,  and  her  flowers,  all  seemed  to 
be  equally  tiresome  and  unpleasant.  While  in 
this  unhappy  state  of  ennui  and  loneliness  of 
feeling,  peculiar  to  the  youthful  days,  or  some 
portion  of  them,  of  both  sexes,  when  the  mind, 
like  Hudibras'  sword, 

"Eats  into  itself,  for  lack 
Of  somebody  to  hew  and  hack," 

she  was  thrown  into  unspeakable  grief  and  con- 
sternation, by  her  uncle  one  day  proposing  to  her 
to  receive  and  encourage  the  addresses  of  Don 
Gregorio,  as  her  future  husband. 


132  MORTON. 

To  her  passionate  tears  and  entreaties  to  be 
spared  such  a  dreadful  calamity,  that  she  declared 
was  infinitely  worse  than  death,  the  old  Don  re- 
plied, that  it  was  natural  for  a  girl  to  be  frighten- 
ed at  the  idea  of  leaving  a  comfortable  home,  to 
become  the  mistress  of  a  family ;  that  he  only 
wished  to  provide  for  her,  and  see  her  well  settled 
in  life,  that  the  proposed  husband  was  handsome, 
rich,  and  connected  by  blood  with  the  viceroy ; 
and  also  urged  many  other  reasons  "  too  numerous 
to  mention."  To  all  which,  the  weeping  and 
agonized  girl  replied,  as  soon  as  her  uncle  was 
out  of  breath,  and  she  had  an  opportunity  of 
speaking,  "But,  my  dear  uncle,  you  know  his 
character,  and  why,  oh  !  why,  will  you  sacrifice 
me,  whom  you  have  always  treated  with  so  much 
affection  and  kindness,  to  one  whom  every  one 
knows  to  be  a  fool  and  a  coward  ?" 

The  Don  was  somewhat  startled  by  this  appeal. 
He  was  certainly  aware  that  Isabella  was  perfectly 
right  in  so  calling  her  proposed  lover,  who  he 
knew  was  both  a  silly  coxcomb  and  a  despicable 
coward,  but  it  was  altogether  past  his  comprehen- 
sion how  his  modest,  retiring,  gentle  niece,  had 
found  out  two  such  very  important  points  in  the 
character  of  a  man,  whom  he  had  noticed  she 
seemed  to  avoid  more  than  any  one  who  visited 
his  house.  But  after  a  few  days,  seeing  that  her 
dejection  was  extreme,  that  her  appetite  and  ani- 
mation had  failed,  and  she  was  sinking  under 
the  weight  of  her  grief,  and  being  likewise  severely 


MORTON.  133 

rated  by  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  in  a  curtain  lecture, 
he  relented,  and  calling  Isabella  to  him  one  morn- 
ing, with  many  expressions  of  fondness,  bade  her 
cheer  up,  for  though  he  wished  to  see  her  well 
married,  he  would  by  no  means  force  her  inclina- 
tions, and  she  should  please  herself  in  the  article 
of  matrimony. 

This  intelligence  soothed  and  consoled  her,  and 
the  rosy  hue  of  health  once  more  revisited  her 
sweet  countenance  ;  her  eyes  once  more  sparkled 
with  much  of  her  wonted  animation  and  cheer- 
fulness, but  still  there  was  a  shade  upon  her  mind 
amounting  almost  to  sadness  ;  her  uncle  had  un- 
masked his  battery,  and  she  felt  that  she  was 
doomed  to  much  persecution,  on  what,  under  ex- 
isting circumstances,  was  to  her  a  most  painful 
subject.  But  the  destinies,  that  manage  matrimo- 
nial affairs  infinitely  better  than  free  agents,  were 
busy  on  her  behalf, 


CHAPTER    IV. 

"  Why,"  said  the  knight,  "  did  you  not  tell  me,  that  this  water  was  from 
the  well  of  your  blessed  patron,  St.  Duns:an  ?" 

"  Ay,  truly,"  said  the  hermit,  "  and  many  a  hundred  pagans  did  he  bap 
tize  there  ;  but  I  never  beard  that  he  drank  any  of  it.  Every  thing  should 
be  put  to  its  proper  use  in  this  world.  St.  Dunstan  knew,  as  well  as  any 
one,  the  prerogatives  of  a  jovial  friar." 

IVANHOI. 

IT  was  nearly  six  months  after  the  warlike  and 
portentous  visit  of  the  puissant  governor  to  the 
Porte,  when  he  was  roused  one  morning  by  intel- 
ligence, that  an  American  whale-ship  had  arrived 
in  the  night,  and  was  then  at  anchor  just  within 
Pedro  Blanco.  He  immediately  commenced,  in 
his  usual  style  of  vaporing  and  flourish,  as  though 
this  Yankee  ship,  arriving  without  his  knowledge 
and  consent,  had  compromised  the  welfare  of  the 
Spanish  monarchy.  Before  his  zeal  had  half  done 
effervescing,  a  sergeant  brought  word  that  the 
captain  and  first  officer  were  at  his  usual  place  of 
transacting  business,  or  bureau  tfoffice,  and  wished 
to  see  him.  This  piece  of  information  had  by  no 
means  a  sedative  effect.  Here  was  a  heretic,  not 
only  stealing  into  the  bay,  Jike  a  thief  in  the  night, 
but  carrying  his  impudence  still  farther,  by  insist- 
ing upon  an  interview,  and  that  too  out  of  busi- 
ness hours,  with  the  representative  of  His  Most 


MORTON.  135 

Catholic  Majesty,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of 
Two  Spains  and  the  Indies. 

However,  he  very  graciously  sent  word,  that  he 
would  attend  to  them  in  a  few  minutes;  and  hav- 
ing drank  his  chocolate,  he  proceeded  to  his  office, 
where  he  found  waiting  for  him  a  grave  elderly 
man,  and  a  handsome  young  one.  The  American 
captain  could  speak  no  Spanish,  but  the  young  man 
could  fluently,  and  he  immediately  proceeded  to 
inform  his  excellency,  that  the  parties  who  had 
ventured  to  intrude  upon  his  valuable  time,  were 
Captain  Hazard,  commander  of  the  American 
whaling  ship  Orion,  and  himself,  Charles  Morton, 
first  officer  of  that  ship  ;  that  the  ship  was  filled 
with  oil,  and  bound  home  ;  that  they  were  out  of 
wood,  short  of  water,  and  desirous  of  obtaining 
fruit,  vegetables,  fresh  and  salt  provisions,  and  live 
stock,  previous  to  their  commencing  their  long  and 
tedious  passage  towards  home ;  and,  finally,  that 
trusting  to  the  well-known  kindness  and  humanity 
of  his  Excellency  General  de  Luna,  they  had 
presumed  to  anchor  in  the  outer  harbor,  till  they 
had  obtained  his  permission  to  move  further  in 
shore,  and  to  purchase  their  supplies. 

The  old  hero  of  Gibraltar  was  delighted :  he 
had  heard  himself  called  general,  and  "vuestra 
excellencia"  half  a  dozen  times  at  least;  and  that 
too  by  a  gentleman,  whose  modsst  deportment  and 
language  convinced  him  of  his  seriousness.  He 
instantly  acceded  to  their  request,  and  would,  at 
that  moment  perhaps,  have  given  them  his  house,, 


136  MORTON. 

if  he  thought  they  could  store  it  away  on  deck,  or 
get  it  down  the  main  hatchway.  Still  it  seemed 
as  if  there  was  something  lacking  on  their  part ; 
and  he  was  soon  set  at  ease.  The  two  Americans 
communicated  for  a  moment,  when  the  young 
man,  in  polite  and  set  phrase,  gave  the  wished-for, 
and  expected,  invitation  to  the  governor  and  his 
family  to  visit  and  dine  on  board  the  Orion,  the 
next  day  at  twelve  o'clock  ;  for  sailors,  and  some 
others,  stick  to  the  primitive  and  convenient  habit 
of  dining  in  the  middle  of  the  day — fashionable 
people,  1  believe,  don't  dine  till  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. 

The  parties  then  separated,  mutually  pleased 
with  each  other ;  the  Americans  at  having  their 
request  so  easily  and  cheerfully  granted,  and  the 
old  Castilian  in  high  glee  with  the  prospect  before 
him,  of  a  good  dinner,  plenty  of  punch,  and  plenty 
of  wine.  Being  gifted  with  olfactory  powers  equal 
to  Job's  war-horse,  he  smelled,  not  a  battle,  but  a 
dinner,  afar  off,  or  within  thirty  divisions  of  "old 
Time,  the  clock-setter's"  dial. 

The  Orion  was  indeed  the  American  whale- 
man in  sight  when  the  governor  visited  the  water- 
side, and  was  then  coming  in,  but  just  as  the 
sea-breeze  commenced,  the  look-out  at  the  mast- 
head reported  a  large  school  of  sperm  whales  in 
the  offing.  Although  the  want  of  vegetables  and 
fresh  provisions  did  grieve  him  sore,  yet  want  of 
oil  did  grieve  him  more ;  and  accordingly,  Captain 
Hazard,  whose  ship  was  but  little  more  than  half 


MORTON.  137 

full,  commenced  beating  out  towards  his  huge 
game,  which  led  him  away  from  the  land  and  to 
the  northward  ;  where,  in  a  little  more  than  five 
months,  he  had  made  up  his  quantum  of  oil ;  and 
preferring  St.  Bias  to  Monterey,  or  St.  Josef,  he 
made  the  best  of  his  way  thither. 

The  governor,  having  notified  his  womankind 
of  the  whale-catching  captain's  invitation,  pro- 
ceeded to  hold  grave  and  high  communication 
with  Father  Josef,  his  ghostly  counsellor,  and  the 
keeper  of  his  conscience. 

Father  Josef  was  a  priest,  turned  of  fifty ;  and, 
like  most  of  the  Spanish  American  clergy,  who 
are  turned  of  fifty,  and  are  of  any  thing  like  fair 
standing  for  sanctity,  was  somewhat  rotund  about 
the  abdominal  regions,  and  of  an  apoplectic  ap- 
pearance ;  that  is,  his  head  was  firmly  plunged 
down,  and  imbedded  between  his  shoulders,  with- 
out being  plagued  with  the  intervening  isthmus  of 
neck,  which  is  so  expensive  to  modern  fashionable 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  being  considered  by  one  sex 
as  a  part  of  the  body  expressly  created  to  hang 
neck-laces,  gold  chains,  and  lace  pelerines  upon ; 
and  by  the  other,  as  intended  merely  as  a  place 
of  lodgment  for  the  stock  and  shirt-collar.  This 
priest's  nose  and  cheeks  bore  a  large  and  bountiful 
crop  of,  what  are  sometimes  called,  "  the  fruits  of 
good  living;"  indeed,  his  parochial  duties  were 
not  of  a  kind  calculated  to  mortify  the  flesh ;  and 
as  his  church  was  well  endowed,  and  he  received 
many  presents  from  the  wealthy  members  of  his 
12 


138  MORTON. 

flock,  it  was  not  a  matter  of  wonder,  that  he  en- 
joyed such  creature-comforts  as  lay  in  his  way ; 
and  the  Catholic  clergy  are  generally  possessed  of 
a  sufficient  degree  of  modest  asurance  in  taking 
possession  of  them.  In  disposition  he  was  mild, 
and  good-natured,  (fat  people  generally  are  ;)  was 
much  attached  to  the  governor's  family,  and  pos- 
sessed great  influence  over  him.  He  was,  over 
and  above  all,  a  man  of  considerable  learning  and 
intelligence :  spoke  English  quite  passably  ;  and, 
as  a  proof  of  good  taste,  we  add,  that  he  was  the 
only  masculine  biped,  who  visited  Don  Gaspar's 
house,  who  really  understood,  and  rightly  appre- 
ciated, Isabella's  beauty  of  person,  and  intellectual 
character.  As  it  was  well  known  that  the  gover- 
nor placed  great  confidence  in  him,  all  who  had 
a  suit  to  the  civil  or  rather  military  potentate,  in 
the  first  place  made  interest  with  the  ecclesiastical 
one  ;  and  this  was  soon  perceived  and  imitated  by 
the  commanders  of  foreign  vessels,  from  whom  he 
received  many  presents.  This  was  the  clergyman 
whom  the  governor  now  summoned  to  a  council. 

"  Father,"  said  he,  when  the  priest  made  his 
appearance  and  bestowed  his  benediction,  "you 
are  doubtless  aware  of  the  arrival  of  an  American 
ship  in  this  harbor,  and  that  I  and  my  family  have 
been  invited  on  board  to-morrow." 

Father  Josef  bowed  in  the  affirmative. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  am  doing  right,"  resumed 
the  Don,  "  in  accepting  such  invitations,  as  it 
throws  me  into  the  society  of  heretics  so  often ; 


MORTON.  139 

and  you  know  we  cannot  touch  pitch  without 
defilement." 

"We  cannot  indeed  handle  pitch  without  being 
defiled,  but  in  the  line  of  duty." 

"  But  duty  does  not  call  me  there." 

"  Nay,  but  hear  me,  my  son  ;  duty  requires  that 
you  should  see  that  his  majesty's  laws  against  un- 
lawful trading  are  not  violated." 

"  That  is  very  true." 

"  And  there  can  be  no  better  opportunity  of  as- 
certaining the  real  character  of  these  foreigners 
than  by  a  personal  visit." 

"  A  most  just  observation,  father." 

"  Therefore,  make  yourself  easy  on  the  score  of 
its  sinfulness,  for  there  is  none  in  it." 

"  I  don't  see  how  there  can  be,"  said  his  excel- 
lency, who  was  thinking  of  the  future  punch  and 
dinner. 

"  If  I  can  assist  you  farther — : 

"  Oh,  true  !  you  will  accompany  us  to-morrow?" 

"Most  cheerfully." 

"  And  now,  father,  I  wish  to  consult  you  upon 
another  subject.  You  know  that  it  is  my  wish  to 
marry  my  niece  to  Don  Gregorio  Nunez." 

"  You  have  said  something  of  this  before." 

"  And  she  is  most  obstinately  opposed  to  such  a 
union." 

"I  can  easily  conceive  it,"  said  the  priest  drily. 

"  He  is  rich  and  well  connected." 

"Riches  and  rank  do  not  charm  all  women." 

tl  It  is  my  wish  to  see  her  well  married." 


140  MORTON. 

"  The  woman  that  marries  Don  Gregorio  is  not 
necessarily  well  married ;  besides,  I  believe  you 
know  his  character." 

"  I  think  I  do." 

"  That  he  is  a  fool." 

"  He  is  certainly  rather  weak  in  intellect." 

"And  a  coward." 

"  I  cannot  deny  it." 

"  And  a  coxcomb." 

"  He  is  certainly  very  vain  of  his  high  birth  and 
of  his  rank  in  the  army :  young  men  are  apt  to  be 
in  such  cases." 

"  You  would  not  consent  to  his  marrying  one  of 
your  daughters  ?" 

"  No ;  I  have  other  views  for  them." 

"  And  yet  you  profess  to  love  your  niece  as  af- 
fectionately as  your  daughters." 

"  You  know  I  do,  father." 

"  And  loving  her  as  you  profess,  you  are  striv- 
ing to  render  that  niece  miserable  for  life  by  uniting 
her  with  one  whom  you  admit  to  be  a  fool,  a  cow- 
ard, and  a  vain  fop." 

The  old  Don,  whose  intellectuals  were  none  of 
the  brightest,  had  got  himself,  without  perceiving 
it,  completely  into  a  premunire,  by  the  Socratic 
mode  of  reasoning  adopted  by  his  more  skilful 
antagonist,  who  at  parting  once  more  addressed 
him : — 

"  Take  my  advice,  Signor  de  Luna,  and  leave 
your  niece  to  herself  on  this  subject :  a  young 
female  heart  cannot  be  made,  like  one  of  your 


MORTON.  141 

soldiers,  to  march  and  countermarch  at  the  word 
of  command  ;  it  is,  besides,  of  very  frail  materials, 
and,  when  once  injured  or  broken,  can  never  be 
repaired.  The  happiness  of  one  so  dear  to  you  as 
your  niece,  may  be  destroyed  forever,  by  forcing 
her  into  a  match  she  detests ;  but  it  will  then  be 
too  late  to  repair  your  fault,  and  it  will  always  be 
to  you  a  subject  of  the  bitterest  regret  and  unavail- 
ing remorse." 

With  these  words  he  departed.  But  the  gover- 
nor, although  convinced  by  the  priest's  arguments, 
and  set  into  profound  meditation  by  his  last  words, 
was  one  of  those  people,  of  whom  we  see  so  many 
at  every  step  we  take  through  life,  who  ask  advice 
when  they  need  it,  are  convinced  of  its  soundness 
when  given,  and  yet,  though  their  natural  good 
sense  assents  to  dispassionate  reasoning,  return  to 
their  old,  foolish,  absurd,  and  ruinous  opinions 
and  intentions. 

Don  Gaspar,  therefore,  although  convinced  that 
he  was  a  fool,  and  an  unfeeling  relation  in  attempt- 
ing to  force  his  niece  into  a  marriage  with  such  a 
worthless  puppy  as  he  readily  admitted  the  pro- 
posed lover  was  in  every  respect,  continued  to  ad- 
here to  his  original  intention,  which  he  thought 
best,  however,  to  defer  for  a  time. 


12* 


CHAPTER     V. 

,.<•/,  ,'t  L". -MI  J.' -..       .      •;•  ..•   ;  c»      "i 

There  is  as  weighty  reason 

For  secresy  in  love,  as  treason. 

Love  is  a  burglarer,  a  felon, 

That  at  the  window  eye  doth  steal  in 

To  rob  the  heart,  and  with  his  prey 

Steals  out  again  a  closer  way. 

HUDIBRAS. 

THE  morning  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  visit  to 
the  ship  Orion  rose  as  pure,  and  clear,  and  beautiful, 
as  though  no  party  of  pleasure  was  intended,  but 
not  more  pure,  and  clear,  and  beautiful,  than  the 
weather  always  is  during  the  dry  season  of  tropical 
climates,  which,  with  the  cool  and  refreshing  sea- 
breeze,  is  one  of  the  delights  of  those  climates  that 
I  forgot  to  particularise  in  its  proper  place.  With 
us  of  the  temperate  section  of  this  round  world  the 
case  is  altogether  different — the  day  appointed  a 
week  beforehand  for  a  party  of  pleasure  being 
almost  invariably  rainy,  blowy,  haily,  snowy, 
drizzly,  foggy,  cold,  uncomfortable,  villainous 
weather ;  or  else  so  hot  that  the  mere  act  of 
breathing  is  too  much  for  feeble  human  nature — 
and  this,  too,  whether  the  party  is  made  for  sail- 
ing, riding,  rambling  about  in  the  woods,  or  even 
for  dancing,  or  tea-drinking,  or  whist-playing  in  a 
warm,  comfortable  room.  This  is,  perhaps,  one 


NORTON.  143 

reason  why  geographers  call  our  part  of  the  globe 
the  temperate  zone  ;  because  all  our  proposed  and 
anticipated  pleasures,  that  depend  in  the  slightest 
possible  degree  upon  the  weather,  are  sure  to  be 
tempered  and  qualified  by  some  unexpected  both- 
eration on  the  part  of  the  weather. 

The  party  from  the  shore  accordingly  arrived 
alongside  the  Orion  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon,  without  accident  by  sea  or  land.  The 
governor  was  in  high  spirits  and  full  regimentals  ; 
Madame  Governor  was  as  stately,  dignified,  and 
bejewelled,  as  became  a  lady  of  her  station  and 
rank  ;  the  two  daughters  sparkled  with  gems  and 
fluttered  with  silks,  thinking  of  the  impression  they 
were  to  make  upon  the  officers  of  the  strange  ship; 
the  priest,  in  sacerdotal  dignity,  and  with  his  weight 
giving  the  boat  three  streaks  heel  to  starboard, 
sat  hoping  some  contingency  might  take  place  that 
would  elicit  a  present  from  the  Yankee  com- 
mander ;  the  young  officers,  but  three  in  number, 
including,  of  course,  the  military  aspirant  to  the 
fair  Isabella's  hand  and  fortune,  thought  of  but 
little  or  nothing  except  their  pretty  persons  and 
dashing  regimentals. 

Isabella,  who  expected  no  pleasure  from  this 
party  of  pleasure,  but  the  reverse,  as  it  would 
compel  her  to  be  for  some  hours  in  the  company 
of  a  man  she  had  so  much  reason  to  detest, 
sat  in  the  stern  sheets,  with  the  fat  clergyman 
directly  in  front,  and  forming  an  impenetrable 
rampart  against  the  impertinent  gallantries  of  the 


144  MORTON. 

coxcomb  Gregorio.  She  wore  no  jewels  or  orna- 
ments, and  from  her  pensive  and  serious  expres- 
sion of  countenance,  might  have  passed  for  an 
Athenian  tribute-maiden  whom  the  annual  ship 
was  about  to  carry  to  the  den  of  the  Minotaur. 

An  arm-chair  of  capacious  and  old-fashioned 
dimensions,  its  ponderous  wood-work  carefully 
hidden  by  the  American  ensign,  the  Jly  of  which 
was  to  serve  as  an  envelope  for  the  feet  and  ancles 
of  the  ladies,  was  strongly  slung  and  lowered  into 
the  stern  sheets  of  the  governor's  state  barge,  a 
craft  containing  nearly  as  much  timber  as  a  fish- 
ing schooner,  and  about  as  burdensome.  Mr.  Mor- 
ton, the  first  officer  of  the  ship,  and  a  remarkably 
handsome  man,  now  came  over  the  side  into  the 
barge,  to  arrange  the  ladies  for  their  aeronautic 
excursion,  safer  than  Durant's,  for  their  car  was 
slung  with  strong  hemp  not  dependent  upon  a  bag 
of  inflammable  gas.  As  a  matter  of  course,  he 
tendered  his  services  to  the  old  lady  first,  who, 
though  she  had  been  whipped  in  and  out  of  as 
many  ships  as  any  English  dragoon-horse  during 
the  war  of  the  Peninsula,  thought  proper  to  curvet 
and  prance,  and  show  as  much  skittishness  as  a 
mule  embarking  at  Hartford,  or  Weathersfield,  or 
Middletown,  for  a  tour  of  duty  at  Surinam  or 
Demerara.  She  was,  however,  hoisted  in  without 
accident,  and  received  on  deck  by  Captain  Hazard 
and  Mr.  Coffin,  the  second  officer,  with  much  po- 
liteness. The  two  young  ladies  were  the  next  in 
order,  and  accomplished  their  flight  successfully. 


MORTON.  145 

Isabella  lastly  took  her  seat  in  the  chair  without 
trepidation  or  affectation  of  alarm.  Morton's  eyes 
had  already  done  hommage  to  her  superior  beauty ; 
but  he  was  too  busy  with  the  other  ladies  to  notice 
her  any  farther  than  as  the  most  lovely  of  the  fe- 
male visitors.  He  now  remarked  the  pensive  ex- 
pression of  her  lovely  countenance,  and  it  excited 
in  his  heart  an  undefinable  and  uncontrollable  in- 
terest. We  have  already  said  that  Isabella  inhe- 
rited her  mother's  beauty,  which  had  not  one  of 
the  usual  characteristics  of  a  Spanish  female  coun- 
tenance ;  and  it  was  this  peculiarity  that  struck 
the  young  seaman  forcibly,  and  probably  increased 
the  interest  he  felt  towards  her,  and  the  curiosity 
to  know  something  more  of  her  history,  as  he  had 
only  understood  vaguely  that  she  was  Don  Gas- 
par's  niece. 

There  is  a  peculiar  phrase,  or  rather  word,  that 
I  have  left  unexplained,  and  concerning  which  I 
will  now  proceed  to  enlighten  the  terrestrial  and 
unenlightened  reader.  I  spoke  of  whipping  the 
ladies  into  the  ship.  The  whip,  then,  consists  of 
a  tail-block  on  the  main  yard-arm,  with  a  sufficient 
rope  rove  through  it,  and  a  similar  purchase  on 
the  collar  of  the  main-stay.  One  end  of  each  of 
these  ropes  is  made  fast  to  a  stout  arm-chair, 
covered  generally  with  the  ship's  ensign,  with  the 
loose  part  of  which  the  lady  wraps  her  feet.  The 
other  ends  are  in  the  hands  of  careful,  steady  sea- 
men. The  lady,  being  arranged  and  fixed  in  the 
chair,  with  a  "  breast-rope"  from  arm  to  arm,  (of 


146  MORTON. 

the  chair,  not  of  the  lady,)  is  hoisted  up  by  the 
yard-whip  till  she  has  approached  the  zenith  suf- 
ficiently to  go  clear  of  the  waist  hammock-nettings, 
when  the  stay- whip  is  hauled  upon,  carrying  her 
in  a  horizontal  direction  over  the  gangway,  when 
both  whips  being  lowered,  she  is  disentangled  of 
her  "wrappers  and  twine,"  and  received  in  the 
arms  of  a  lover,  a  husband,  or  a  brother,  as  the 
case  may  be.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  whose  cu- 
riosity on  the  subject  of  whips  is  still  unsatisfied, 
will  find  their  theory  demonstrated  and  illustrated 
by  a  diagram  in  "  Enfield's  Natural  Philosophy." 

I  have  known  the  somewhat  startling  nautical 
command,  "  Get  the  whip  ready  for  the  ladies," 
blanch  many  a  fair  cheek  with  sudden  and  most 
causeless  alarm.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  we 
"gentlemen  of  the  ocean"  have  singular  names 
for  things ;  but  every  thing  at  sea  must  have  a 
name,  or  there  would  be  no  getting  along. 

I  have  only  farther  to  remark  on  this  subject, 
that  horses  are  infinitely  more  tractable  in  taking 
on  board  a  ship,  than  ladies ;  for  the  moment  the 
horse  perceives  his  feet  are  clear  of  the  ground,  he 
becomes  perfectly  quiet  and  passive  ;  whereas,  the 
lady  is  always  quiet  while  a  handsome  young 
officer  is  arranging  the  flags,  <fcc.  about  her  feet; 
but  as  soon  as  she  is  fairly  in  the  air.  she  begins 
to  scream,  and  kick,  and  bounce  about,  to  the  im- 
minent risk  of  her  bones ;  and  just  at  the  time 
when  common  sense  and  instinct  teach  the  quad- 
ruped to  keep  perfectly  still,  women,  who  have 


MORTON.  147 

but  little  common  sense  in  such  cases,  and  no  in- 
stinct at  all,  are  the  most  intractable  and  restless. 

Morton  followed  the  last  lady,  namely,  Isabella, 
and,  as  he  stepped  over  the  gangway,  was  accosted 
by  his  brother  officer. 

"What  a  thundering  pretty  girl  that  last  one  is  !" 

"  She  is  the  governor's  niece,"  said  Morton. 

"  You  may  tell  that  to  the  marines,"  said  Cof- 
fin ;  "I'll  be  shot  if  there's  as  much  Spanish  blood 
in  her  veins  as  would  grease  the  point  of  a  sail- 
needle." 

"  They  say  so  ashore,"  said  Morton. 

"  I  don't  care  what  they  say ;  I'll  believe  my 
eyes  before  the  best  Spaniard  among  them." 

"  Who  knows,"  said  Morton,  "  but  that  infernal 
soldier,  that's  buzzing  about  her,  may  one  day  be 
the  husband  of  that  sweet  girl  T 

"  There's  no  knowing,"  said  Coffin,  yawning ; 
"  but  you  and  I,  Charlie,  can't  marry  all  the  pretty 
girls  that  are  like  to  have  fools  for  husbands." 

As  this  conversation  went  on,  the  mates  had 
walked  aft,  and  were  close  behind  Isabella,  who 
stood  by  the  companion-way,  while  the  governor, 
and  his  lady,  who  was  not  far  behind  him  in  cor- 
poreal dimensions,  were  accomplishing  their  de- 
scent into  the  lower  regions. 

"That  rascally  soldier,"  said  Morton,  "wants 
nothing  but  a  tail  to  make  him  a  full-rigged  mon- 
key, and  that  lovely  girl  is  about  to  be  sacrificed 
to  him," 

"  Poor  girl !"  said  Coffin  ;  "  it's  bad  enough  to 


148  MORTON. 

marry  a  sojer,  any  how ;  but  to  marry  such  a 
critter  as  that  is  going  it  a  little  too  fine." 

Poor  Isabella,  who  had  heard  and  properly  un- 
derstood every  syllable  of  their  conversation,  was 
exceedingly  affected.  She  had  heard  a  person, 
whose  appearance  and  manners  approached  her 
beau  ideal  of  a  gentleman,  expressing,  in  warm 
and  energetic  language,  the  liveliest  compassion 
for  her,  and  guessing  (for  she  could  not  imagine 
how  he  could  know  with  certainty)  her  exact 
situation,  and  manifesting  an  apparently  sincere 
and  hearty  interest,  towards  her.  Although  her 
uncle  had  forborne  to  trouble  her  upon  that  hate- 
ful subject,  after  he  had  first  proposed  it,  she 
knew  his  disposition  too  well  to  regard  the  re- 
prieve as  an  abandonment  of  his  original  design. 

As  she  turned  away  to  conceal  her  emotion 
from  her  cousins,  her  streaming  eyes  encountered 
those  of  Morton.  The  young  seaman  was  shocked 
and  alarmed  at  her  tears,  though  he  had  not  the 
most  distant  suspicion  that  she  had  understood  a 
word  that  had  been  said.  Her  beauty  had  first 
attracted  his  notice — it  was  so  un-Spanish,  and  so 
nearly  resembling  that  of  New  England  ladies ; 
the  pensive  expression  of  her  countenance  had 
excited  a  lively  interest  and  curiosity  towards  her  ; 
but  her  tears,  the  evidence  of  that  "secret  grief" 
that  the  heart,  and  only  the  heart,  knoweth,  had 
called  up  all  the  sympathies  of  his  heart. 

I  believe  there  are  few  men,  who  deserve  the 
name,  that  are  proof  against  a  woman's  tears, 


MORTON.  149 

and  there  are  few  such  men,  who,  when  they  per- 
ceive a  woman,  especially  a  young  and  beautiful 
one,  oppressed  with  grief,  anxiety,  or  distress,  do 
not  feel  an  irresistible  impulse  to  assist  and  relieve 
her. 

It  may  be  objected  that  I  have  made  my  hero 
fall  in  love  at  first  sight.  To  this  I  answer  that  I 
cannot  spare  time  to  lead  him  step  by  step  through 
all  the  crooks  and  turns  of  the  bewitching  pas- 
sion ;  secondly,  love  is  not  like  the  consumption  ; 
people  do  not  go  gradually  into  it  by  a  beaten 
road,  every  foot  of  which  is  marked  and  desig- 
nated by  its  appropriate  and  peculiar  symptoms. 
"Nemo  est  repente  vitiosus,"  says  Juvenal — no- 
body becomes  completely  depraved  all  at  once ; 
very  true,  but  folks  certainly  do,  to  my  certain 
knowledge,  fall  in  love  all  at  once,  and  that  is 
doubtless  the  reason  why  they  are  said  to  fall  in 
love.  Love  is  like  the  Asiatic  cholera  ;  a  man  is 
suddenly  laid  flat  on  his  back,  with  all  the  marked 
and  violent  symptoms,  when  he  thought  all  the 
while  he  was  in  perfect  health.  "Love,"  says 
Corporal  Trim,  "is  exactly  like  war  in  this,  that 
a  soldier,  though  he  has  escaped  three  weeks  com- 
plete o'  Saturday  night,  may  nevertheless  be  shot 
through  the  heart  on  Sunday  morning."  In  the 
third  place,  a  man,  who  for  two  or  three  years 
has  seen  nothing  in  the  female  form  more  attrac- 
tive than  the  copper-colored  beauties  of  Asia,  the 
South  Sea  Islands,  and  the  whole  western  coast 
of  America,  or  the  ebony  fair  ones  of  Africa,  \* 

13 


150  MORTON. 

most  astonishingly  susceptible  when  once  more 
restored  to  the  society  of  ladies  of  his  own  com- 
plexion, and  of  more  refinement  than  those  we 
have  mentioned.  I  have  had  the  ineffable  plea- 
sure of  testing  the  truth  of  this  theory  more  than 
a  dozen  times  in  my  own  person.  If  any  gentle- 
man doubts  the  fact,  I  can  only  advise  him  to  ba- 
nish himself  from  female  society,  in  a  man-of-war 
or  whaleman,  for  three  or  four  years.  If  he  does 
not  fall  in  love  fifty  times  a  month,  when  he  re- 
turns, he  is  either  more  or  less  than  human,  and, 
in  either  case,  I  should  wish  to  remain  a  stranger 
to  him. 

The  whole  party  were  now  "under  hatches," 
and  examining  the  wonders  of  a  whaleman's  ca- 
bin. Morton  had  attached  himself  to  Isabella, 
and,  as  he  spoke  the  Spanish  language  fluently, 
and,  what  was  more  to  the  purpose,  was  impelled 
by  an  irresistible  feeling  to  entertain  and  amuse 
her,  soon  drew  her  into  conversation,  and  was 
astonished  and  delighted  with  her  good  sense.  He 
had  visited  different  parts  of  South  America  be- 
fore, and  had  seen  enough  of  the  women  to  per- 
ceive that  they  were  excessively  ignorant,  super- 
stitious, and  vulgar.  He  was  therefore  not  a  little 
surprised  to  perceive  in  Isabella's  conversation 
marks  of  a  cultivated  and  polished  understanding. 

The  rest  of  the  party  had  gone  into  the  steer- 
age to  examine  some  of  those  curious  specimens 
of  whalebone  work,  in  the  fabrication  of  which 
whalemen  employ  so  much  patience  and  time, 


MORTON.  151 

during  their  long  and  often  unsuccessful  voyages. 
As  Isabella  and  Morton  stood  together  by  the  ca- 
bin table,  the  lady  opened  a  bible  that  was  lying 
there,  and  seemed  for  a  moment  or  two  engaged 
in  reading  it. 

"Do  you  understand  that?"  said  the  seaman, 
still  speaking  Spanish. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  in  English,  "my  mother 
was  a  Scotchwoman,  and  a  Protestant." 

"  Good  heavens  !  then  I  am  afraid — I  am  sure 
— that — in  short,  I  believe  that  something  was 
said  before  you  came  below,  that  must  have  been 
unpleasant — that,  indeed,  could  not  but  hurt  your 
feelings." 

Isabella  was  extremely  agitated,  and  turned 
away  her  head. 

"  What  would  I  not  give,"  continued  he,  in  a 
low  voice,  "  what  would  I  not  sacrifice,  to  be  able 
— to  be  permitted,  to  assist  you  in  any  way." 

He  stopped,  scarcely  knowing  what  he  said,  or 
hardly  knowing  whether  he  had  spoken  at  all. 
The  poor  girl  raised  her  swimming  eyes  in  sup- 
plication. 

"  For  heaven's  sake  !  drop  this  subject ;  if  my 
uncle  knew  that  you  had  spoken  thus  to  me,  he 
would  carry  me  back  immediately." 

"  But  tell  me,  dearest  lady,  tell  me,  is  there  no 
way  in  which  I  can  be  of  service  to  you  ?" 

u  No,  no,  no,  leave  me ;  if  you  have  any  re- 
gard for  me,  leave  me.  I  thank  you  for  the 


152  MORTON. 

interest  you  have  shown  for  me  ;  but  it  will  avail 
nothing." 

The  tone  of  extreme  dejection,  and  melancholy^ 
in  which  she  pronounced  these  last  words,  almost 
drove  Morton  beside  himself.  He  was  completely 
bewildered  with  conflicting  emotions — a  young 
and  beautiful  woman,  lovely  in  person  and  in 
mind,  and,  what  made  her  irresistible  to  an  unso- 
phisticated, warm,  generous,  and  feeling  heart,  in 
affliction — affliction  that  seemed  more  remediless, 
because  not  understood  by  one,  nor  communicated 
by  the  other. 

From  this  situation  of  mutual  embarrassment, 
they  were  relieved  by  the  entrance  of  one  of  the 
young  ladies,  who  came  to  call  her  cousin  into 
the  steerage,  to  see  the  wonders  already  alluded 
to.  Luckily,  Carlota,  although  a  good-natured 
girl,  and  fond  of  her  cousin  Isabella,  was  not 
remarkably  keen-sighted,  or  she  must  have  no- 
ticed the  agitation  and  embarrassment  of  both 
parties. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Coffin,  who  had  a  large 
share  of  a  particular  kind  of  shrewdness,  had  no- 
ticed that  his  friend  seemed  inclined  to  enjoy  the 
society  of  Isabella  uninterrupted ;  and,  to  assist 
that  mano3iivre  as  much  as  possible,  engaged  the 
young  officers  with  some  tremendous  tough  fish 
stories,  in  which  he  was  ably  supported  by  one  of 
the  boat-steerers,  a  Portuguese,  who  spoke  Spa- 
nish, as  a  matter  of  course,  and  helped  out  his 
officer,  when  his  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  Ian- 


MORTON.  153 

guage  brought  him  to  a  stand  still.  So  he  ma- 
naged to  hold  them,  as  jackasses  are  held, — by  the 
ears, — till  he  saw  his  companion  and  the  young 
lady  come  into  the  steerage,  when  he  broke  off 
somewhat  abruptly,  in  the  middle  of  a  very  tough 
yarn,  leaving  the  gentlemen  of  the  sword  to  guess 
at  the  catastrophe. 

As  the  party  stood  around  a  chest,  upon  which 
these  whalebone  toys,  and  other  curiosities,  were 
displayed,  Antonia  dropt  a  bouquet  from  her  bo- 
som. As  Morton  picked  it  up,  arid  returned  it  to 
its  fair  owner,  he  made  some  remark  upon  the 
beauty,  and  fragrance,  of  the  flowers. 

"  Are  you  fond  of  flowers  ?"  said  the  young 
lady. 

"  Yes,  very." 

"  That  I  can  answer  for,"  said  Coffin  ;  "  he  is 
always,  when  on  shore  for  wood,  water,  or  plea- 
sure, in  search  of  rare  flowers,  and  shells.  It  is 
well  there  are  no  such  things  at  sea,  or  we  should 
never  have  taken  a  single  whale — and  then  he 
paints  those  he  finds  so  beautifully." 

"  What !  he  paint  flowers  !  a  man  paint  flow- 
ers !  Santa  Maria !  who  ever  heard  of  such  a 
thing  !"  echoed  the  two  young  ladies. 

"  And  why  not,  my  children,"  said  the  fat 
priest,  laughing  ;  "  do  you  ladies  think  you  have 
an  exclusive  title,  and  right,  to  all  the  elegant 
accomplishments  ?" 

"I  do  not  doubt,"  said  Coffin,  "that  Signer 
Morton  would  be  proud  to  show  the  ladies  his 

13* 


154  MORTON. 

drawings.  Come,  Charlie,"  he  continued,  in 
English,  "  you  shall  not  keep  your  candle  under 
a  bushel  any  longer — you  see  you're  in  for  it, 
and  you  may  as  well  submit  with  a  good  grace." 

So  saying,  he  led  the  way  to  the  cabin,  where 
the  drawings  were  paraded  upon  the  table.  They 
were  certainly  very  beautiful ;  for  to  a  fondness 
for  the  "  serene  and  silent  art,"  Morton  added  a 
natural  taste  for  it,  which  he  had  ample  leisure  to 
cultivate,  during  his  long  voyages.  After  admir- 
ing them  for  some  time,  Madame  de  Luna  gave 
the  artist  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  their  house, 
and  garden,  a  mile  or  two  beyond  the  town  ;  in 
the  latter,  she  assured  him,  he  would  find  some 
rare  and  beautiful  subjects  for  his  pencil.  Morton 
was  exceedingly  gratified  by  this  kindness,  and 
said,  in  a  low  voice,  and  in  English,  to  Isabella, 
but  without  looking  at,  or  apparently  addressing, 
her,  as  she  stood  next  him,  "  Then  I  shall  have 
the  happiness  of  seeing  you  once  more." 


CHAPTER    VI. 


Love's  power  "s  too  great  to  be  withstood 
By  feeble  human  flesh  and  blood. 
'Twas  he  that  brought  upon  his  knees 
The  hect'ring  ki  1  cow  Hercules  ; 
Transform'd  his  leaguer  lion's  skin 
T'  a  petticoat,  and  made  him  spin  ; 
Seiz'd  on  his  club,  and  made  it  dwindle 
T'  a  feeble  distaff  and  a  spindle. 

He 


THE  dinner  on  board  the  Orion,  which  was  not 
served  up  till  one  o'clock,  by  the  way,  as  Captain 
Hazard  wished  to  be  more  than  usually  genteel, 
was  excellent,  and  was  preceded,  and  followed,  by 
copious  libations  of  punch  ;  after  which  the  wine 
was  set  on  table,  and  the  veterans,  that  is,  the 
military,  the  nautical,  and  ecclesiastical,  part  of 
the  company,  proceeded  to  discuss  it,  "in  manner 
and  form."  The  governor,  as  was  his  custom  on 
such  occasions,  told  interminable  stories  of  the 
siege  of  Gibraltar,  during  which,  his  hopeful  ne- 
phew elect  enjoyed  a  very  comfortable  nap,  and 
even  Father  Josef  nodded  occasionally. 

The  ladies  had  made  their  escape,  as  soon  as 
dinner  was  finished  ;  and  Morton,  on  the  watch, 
like  a  cat  to  steal  cream,  was  on  the  alert,  as  soon 


156  MORTON. 

as  he  perceived  their  intentions,  and  accompanied 
them  on  deck.  To  his  great  satisfaction,  none  of 
the  Spanish  officers  made  any  attempt  to  leave 
the  table  ;  for,  as  the  old  Don  had  just  got  fairly 
under  weigh  with  one  of  his  campaigning  stories, 
they  were  afraid  to  treat  him  with  so  much  dis- 
respect, and,  of  course,  hazard  their  hopes  of 
being  invited  to  attend  him  again  upon  a  similar 
party.  Accordingly,  Morton  had  the  pleasure  of 
enjoying  the  society  of  the  ladies,  without  inter- 
ruption, and  found  many  opportunities  of  saying 
a  few  words  to  Isabella.  In  this,  he  was  again 
much  beholden  to  the  skilful  manoeuvring  of  his 
messmate,  Coffin,  who  was  already  higher  in  the 
good  graces  of  the  mother  and  daughters  than 
Morton,  who,  though  a  handsome  man,  had  not 
so  much  of  that  dashing,  off-hand,  sort  of  gallantry 
as  the  other  ;  and  which  goes  an  incredible  way 
with  most  ladies. 

Morton  had  seen  more  of  the  polite  world,  and 
was  better  educated,  and  more  refined  in  his  man- 
ners, than  Coffin  ;  but,  besides  being,  at  that  time, 
wholly  engrossed  and  engaged  by  a  particular 
object,  he  had  that  peculiar  kind  of  modesty,  or 
diffidence,  that  does  a  man  so  much  injury  with 
the  other  sex ;  who,  though  they  pretend  to  priza 
modesty  so  highly  among  themselves,  abominate 
it  as  unnatural,  absurd,  and  affected,  in  men  ; 
while  the  pert  and  obsequious  fluttering  of  a  fash- 
ionable water-fly,  which  is  always  received  with 
a  smile,  is  generally  more  prized,  and  rewarded 


MORTON.  157 

more  bountifully  still.  There  is,  however,  some 
consolation  in  the  thought,  that  repentance  always 
overtakes,  and  punishes,  the  silly  woman  who  has 
allowed  herself  to  be  so  fatally  "  pleased  with  a 
rattle  ;"  she  perceives,  after  marriage,  that  she 
has  given  herself  irrevocably  to  a  thing  "  of  shreds 
and  patches." 

There  is  a  certain  sort  of  little  attentions,  that 
ladies  generally  expect  from  our  sex,  and  a  skill 
and  adroitness  in  showing  which  makes  no  in- 
considerable part  of  a  modern  gentleman's  educa- 
tion. I  have  known  many  young  men,  who  could 
not  write  two  consecutive  sentences,  without 
coming  to  an  open  rupture  with  orthography, 
grammar,  or  common  sense,  or  all  three,  if  it  was 
to  save  their  well-stocked  necks  from  the  halter, 
or  their  souls,  (what  of  that  commodity  they  have,) 
from  Satan's  grip,  but  who  stood  very  high,  and, 
doubtless,  deservedly  so,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
fair  sex,  simply  from  their  skill  and  precision  in 
going  through  a  certain  routine  of  little  trifling 
acts  of  politeness. 

As  far  as  ladies  are  concerned,  politeness  ap- 
pears to  consist  chiefly  in  a  man's  putting  himself 
to  more  or  less  inconvenience,  or  exposing  himself 
to  danger,  on  their  account.  With  regard  to  the 
last,  I  do  not  know  but  I  could  acquit  myself  to 
advantage,  partly  from  the  peculiar  recklessness 
that  is  acquired  at  sea  ;  and  partly  because  facing 
danger,  in  the  protection  of  the  weaker  sex,  is 
both  the  duty  of  the  stronger,  and  the  stronger 


158  MORTON. 

generally  can  do  it  with  less  embarrassment,  than 
perform  those  innumerable,  nameless,  attentions, 
already  alluded  to.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that 
when  walking  out  with  ladies,  I  have  felt  pecu- 
liarly desirous  of  the  apparition  of  a  mad  bull,  a 
ghost,  or  the  devil,  to  give  me  an  opportunity  to 
show  my  courage ;  but  I  think  it  is  certainly 
easier  to  most  men  to  expose  themselves  to  danger, 
in  the  service  of  a  lady,  than  to  perform  accepta- 
bly, and  without  awkwardness,  those  little  acts  of 
politeness,  that,  in  the  present  state  of  society,  la- 
dies are  somewhat  rigorous  in  exacting.  I  have 
passed  the  very  cream  and  flower  of  my  life  at 
sea,  that  is,  from  nineteen  to  thirty-two,  and  now, 
"  in  these  latter  days,"  begin  to  feel  myself  very 
much  like  a  fish  out  of  water.  How  often  have  I 
'•'sailed  into  the  northward"  of  a  fair  lady's  dis- 
pleasure, for  neglecting  to  assist  her  into,  or  out 
of,  a  carriage  !  never  dreaming,  "  poor  ignorant 
sinner"  that  I  am !  that  the  ascent  up  the  steps 
of  a  coach  was  attended  with  any  more  perils, 
than  that  of  the  stairs  that  lead  to  her  bed-room  ; 
or  that  a  girl,  perhaps  twenty  years  my  junior, 
glowing  in  the  full  bloom  of  youth,  health,  and 
sprightliness,  and  with  a  step  as  light  and  elastic 
as  Virgil's  Camilla,  required  the  assistance  of  such 
an  old  weather-beaten  beau  as  myself.  How  often 
have  I  been  pouted  at  by  the  ripest,  rosiest,  lips  in 
the  world,  for  omitting  to  wait  upon  their  owner 
home,  on  a  dark,  stormy,  evening,  and  half  a  mile 
out  of  my  way,  simply  because  I  preferred  the 


MORTON.  159 

company  I  was  with,  to  the  half-mile  heat  I  I  do 
not  know  that  I  have  ever  felt  very  desirous  of 
living  my  life  over  again  ;  but  I  confess  I  should 
like  to  go  back,  say,  to  the  age  of  three  or  four 
and  twenty,  merely  to  take  a  few  lessons  in  the 
graces,  and  then  ''jump  the  life  to  come,"  as  far 
as  where  I  am  now,  namely,  thirty  or  forty. 

By  Mr.  Coffin's  management,  Morton  and  Isa- 
bella were  much  of  the  time  together,  and  both 
instinctively  avoided  any  allusion  to  painful  sub- 
jects. He  described  to  her  the  various  implements 
used  in  the  whale-fishery,  gave  her  a  short  ac- 
count of  the  voyage,  and  of  the  different  parts  of 
America,  and  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  that  he 
had  visited  ;  and,  in  short,  exerted  himself  to 
please  and  entertain  her,  and  was  successful. 

When  in  the  society  of  those  we  love,  and  from 
whom  we  are  soon  to  separate,  perhaps  forever, 
how  much  we  can  manage  to  say  in  a  little  time ! 
how  earnestly  do  we  strive  to  render  delightful 
those  moments,  perhaps  the  last  that  we  are  ever 
to  pass  with  those  friends  !  Dr.  Johnson  says, 
the  approach  of  death  wonderfully  concentrates 
one's  ideas ;  so  does  the  approach  of  the  hour  of 
parting. 

Isabella  heard  herself,  for  the  first  time,  for 
many  years,  addressed  in  the  language  of  respect- 
ful politeness,  and  unassuming  common  sense  ; 
the  pictures  of  refined,  polished,  and  enlightened, 
society,  drawn  in  the  few  excellent  English  au- 
thors her  mother  had  left  her,  seemed  realized  and 


160  MORTON. 

presented  to  her  eyes,  in  all  the  richness  of  life. 
She  did  not  stop  to  analyse,  or  try  to  explain  to 
herself  the  peculiarly  delightful  feelings  that  oc- 
cupied her  mind  ;  though  if  she  had  been  left 
alone  for  five  minutes,  her  own  good  sense  would 
have  told  her  it  was  love :  that  pure,  unalloyed, 
unreflecting,  ardent,  first  love,  that,  like  the 
whooping-cough  and  the  measles,  we  never  have 
but  once  ;  though  some  patients  have  it  earlier  in 
life,  and  more  severely,  than  others. 

Ladies  will  never  admit,  and  never  have  ad- 
mitted, from  the  time  the  stone-masons  and  hod- 
carriers  struck  work  upon  the  tower  of  Babel,  (for 
want  of  a  circulating  medium  of  speech,  that 
would  be  taken  at  par  by  all  hands,  down  to  the 
present  Anno  Domini,  1834,  and  twenty-second 
of  October,)  that  any  of  their  sisterhood  ever  fell 
in  love  "  at  sight,"  as  brokers  call  it,  or  that  her 
eyes  influenced  her  heart.  With  regard  to  the 
female,  who,  in  early  life,  takes  up  the  "  trade  and 
mystery"  of  a  fashionable  belle,  ex  officio  a  co- 
quet and  a  flirt,  this  is.  in  some  measure  true  ;  for 
I  have  observed,  that  very  beautiful  women  of 
that  description,  who  have  had  at  their  feet  wealth, 
and  talent,  and  eloquence,  and  virtue,  generally 
"close  their  concerns"  by  marrying  sots,  fools, 
gamblers,  rakes,  or  brutes  ;  they  seem  to  choose 
their  husbands  as  old  maiden  ladies  do  their  lap- 
dogs;  which  are  invariably  the  most  cross,  ugly, 
ill-tempered,  filthy,  noisy,  little  scoundrels,  that 
the  entire  canine  family  can  muster.  But  their 


MORTON.  161 

practice  is  at  variance  with  their  profession.  It  is 
physically  and  morally  impossible  that  women, 
whose  chief  strength  consists  in  external  appear- 
ance and  show,  should  hold  in  light  esteem  ex- 
ternal appearance  and  show  in  our  sex  ;  and,  if 
they  are  not  guided  by  their  eyes  in  the  choice  of 
their  lovers,  I  should  like  to  know  what  the  d — 1 
they  are  guided  by ;  for  in  a  company  of  feather- 
pated  girls,  the  chief  object  of  ridicule  is  the  per- 
sonal defects  of  their  male  acquaintance. 

Time,  that  stands  still  with  married  men,  and 
sometimes  with  old  bachelors,  flies  with  lovers  ; 
and  the  sun's  "  lower  limb"  was  dipping  in  the 
haze,  that  skirted  the  western  horizon,  when  the 
steward  came  on  deck,  and  informed  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  that  coffee  was  ready,  and,  accord- 
ingly, they  descended  into  the  cabin.  After  this 
refreshment,  preparations  were  made  for  going 
ashore.  Morton  and  Coffin  ran  on  deck,  to  get 
the  whips  ready  ;  and  the  former,  calling  his  own 
boat's  crew  aft,  had  his  boat  lowered  down  from 
the  quarter-davits,  and  brought  to  the  gangway, 
while  the  governor's  bargemen  were  lighting  fresh 
segars.  With  a  few  words  of  explanation  to  the 
second  officer,  Morton  sprang  into  his  boat,  and, 
in  a  few  minutes,  Isabella  and  her  two  cousins 
were  safely  stowed  in  the  stern-sheets.  The  bow- 
man obeyed  the  command,  "  shove  off ;"  the  swift 
boat,  impelled  by  five  strong-limbed  seamen,  flew 
like  a  swallow  across  the  bay,  and  reached  the 
landing-place  at  least  ten  minutes  before  the  cum- 
14 


162  MORTON. 

brous  barge  of  his  excellency  bounced  her  broad 
nose  against  the  side  of  the  quay,  and  recoiled, 
like  a  battering-ram. 

Morton  improved  the  time  he  was  on  the  shore 
with  the  ladies,  by  paying  more  attention  to  the 
governor's  daughters  than  he  had  done  heretofore, 
and  easily  succeeded  in  entertaining  them.  They 
repeated  their  mother's  invitation  to  the  young 
seaman  to  visit  their  house,  declaring  they  had 
never  seen  any  foreign  gentleman  that  spoke  such 
pure  Spanish  ;  that  the  Americans  were  much 
more  polite,  and  respectful,  and  hospitable,  and 
obliging,  than  the  English ;  and  concluded,  by 
wondering  why,  if  the  United  States  were  so  near 
Mexico,  it  should  take  six  months  to  go  from  St. 
Bias  there.  To  all  which  Morton  made  the  ap- 
propriate replies  ;  and,  when  the  rest  of  the  party 
were  assembled,  assisted  the  ladies  to  their  horses, 
renewing  to  Isabella,  as  he  adjusted  her  in  the 
saddle,  his  promise  to  call  at  her  uncle's  house  the 
next  day.  As  this  promise  did  not  cause  the 
young  lady  to  "jump  out  her  skin"  or  saddle,  it 
is  highly  probable  that  she  did  not  perceive  any 
great  harm  in  it ;  nor  did  it  occur  to  her  then,  or 
when  consulting  her  pillow  at  night,  that  she 
violated  female  propriety,  by  answering,  simply, 
and  somewhat  emphatically,  "  I  hope  you  will." 

On  their  ride  homeward,  the  party  were  loud  in 
their  praises  of  the  entertainment  of  the  day,  their 
eulogies  being  directed  to  different  parts  of  the  en- 
tertainment according  to  the  different  tastes  of  the 


MORTON.  163 

individuals  performing  the  concert ;  for  instance, 
the  young  ladies  made  honorable  mention  of  the 
politeness  and  attention  of  the  "dos  pelotos  her- 
mosos,"  the  two  handsome  mates ;  the  old  lady 
chanted  the  praises  of  the  china  ware,  and  table 
linen,  and  the  knives  and  forks — all  of  them  luxu- 
ries at  that  time  in  South  America  ;  the  governor 
eulogized  the  punch,  and  Father  Josef  the  dinner ; 
the  young  officers  were  in  raptures  with  the  wine, 
in  which  they  were  joined  by  the  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical dignitaries  in  grand  chorus.  Perhaps 
there  never  was  a  party  of  visitors  that  left  their 
entertainer's  house,  whether  riding  at  anchor  in 
port,  or  standing  on  hammered  granite  "under- 
pinning" on  shore,  better  pleased  with  what  they 
had  had,  or  in  better  humor  or  spirits. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Farewell !  God  knows  when  we  shall  meet  again. 
I  have  a  faint  cold  fear  thrills  through  my  veins, 
That  almost  freezes  up  the  heat  of  life. 

Ro.MEO   ADD  JULIKT. 

ISABELLA  arose  at  her  usual  hour  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  after  breakfast  walked  into  the  garden, 
from  a  sort  of  unacknowledged  hope  and  wish 
that  she  might  soon  be  joined  by  the  young  Ame- 
rican, who  had  occupied  her  thoughts,  both  sleep- 
ing and  waking,  since  she  had  parted  with  him  on 
the  beach  the  evening  previous.  At  the  sound  of 
every  horse's  feet  she  started,  and  her  heart  beat 
quicker.  But  he  came  not  that  day,  and  as  even- 
ing approached,  her  disappointment  became  almost 
insupportable  ;  she  tried  to  frame  excuses  for  him ; 
he  had  never  been  to  the  house  ;  perhaps  he  had, 
by  a  very  natural  mistake,  gone  to  her  uncle's 
house  in  town,  instead  of  that  where  she  now 
was,  and  which  was  rather  more  than  a  mile  from 
St.  Bias,  and  whither  the  family  came  regularly  to 
lodge,  though  they  spent  most  of  the  time  at  their 
town  residence ;  perhaps  he  was  detained  on  board 
by  his  duties ;  or  he  might  be  sick. 

"And  why,"  said  the  weeping  girl  to  herself, 
"  why  should  I  wish  to  see  him  again  1     Alas  !     I 


MORTON.  165 

have  already  seen  him  too  often,  for  my  future 
peace  of  mind.  He  is  going  home  to  his  parents, 
his  relatives,  his  friends,  his  home,  and  perhaps 
to  his  wife;"  and  this  last  thought  crossed  her 
mind  with  a  feeling  of  peculiar  anguish;  "but 
no,  when  he  spoke  of  his  friends  and  parents,  he 
said  nothing  of  his  wife ;  but  he  is  going,  and  in 
a  few  short  months  he  will  forget  that  he  has  ever 
seen  me,  or  that  such  an  unhappy  being  has  ever 
existed."  - 

With  these  painful  and  self-tormenting  reflec- 
tions she  passed  the  evening,  and  much  of  the 
night;  but  youthful  hope,  that  cheers  the  heart 
with  flattering  and  deceitful  promises,  never  suffi- 
ciently well  defined  to  resemble  certainty,  but 
always  brilliant ;  hope,  whose  elasticity  raises  the 
sinking  heart,  soothed  and  composed  her  spirits, 
and  she  sank  into  sound  and  refreshing  slumbers, 
to  wake  to  a  brighter  and  more  flattering  day  ;  but 
at  the  same  time,  to  sink  deeper  and  more  irrevo- 
cably into  that  bewitching,  bewildering  passion, 
whose  existence  she  could  not  now  avoid  acknow- 
ledging. 

As  she  was  sitting  in  the  garden  the  next  day, 
she  was  suddenly  startled  by  the  approach  of  her 
two  cousins  in  full  chat,  and  close  behind  them, 
Morton.  Isabella  seemed  rooted  to  her  seat,  the 
light  swam  before  her  eyes,  her  tongue  was  para- 
lyzed, and  her  limbs  were  unable  to  raise  or  sup- 
port her.  The  young  seaman  approached,  and 
in  broken,  incoherent,  and  unintelligible  accents, 

14* 


166  MORTON. 

attempted  to  express  the  delight  he  felt  at  once 
more  seeing  her.  Perhaps,  if  the  two  cousins  had 
been  out  of  the  way.  he  would  have  acquitted 
himself  better,  perhaps  not  so  well.  "  Iron  sharp- 
eneth  iron,"  saith  Solomon  ;  "  so  doth  a  man  the 
countenance  of  his  friend."  It  may  be  so  in  some 
cases,  but  I  doubt  whether  any  man  can  make 
love  so  glibly,  so  off  hand,  before  half  a  dozen 
spectators,  especially  females,  as  he  can  "  all  alone 
by  himself;"  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  something 
absolutely  awful  in  being  alone  with  a  pretty  and 
modest  woman,  and  being  compelled  to  "look  one 
another  in  the  face,"  like  the  two  bullying  kings 
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem.  It  is  much  like  "  watch- 
ing with  a  corpse,"  a  ceremony  derived,  I  believe, 
from  the  orientals,  and  still  prevalent  in  good  old 
New  England. 

The  parties  were  soon  relieved  from  their  em- 
barrassment ;  the  two  cousins,  after  asking  a  thou- 
sand questions,  and  only  waiting  to  hear  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  the  answers,  bounced  off  into  the 
house,  leaving  the  two  lovers,  for  such  they  were 
now  most  decidedly,  to  the  luxury  of  their  own 
thoughts  and  conversation.  We  have  no  time, 
inclination,  nor  ability,  to  describe  the  steps  by 
which  they  advanced  from  mere  acquaintance  to 
the  can't-live-without-each-other  and  hopeless  state 
of  deep  and  incurable  love. 

Perhaps  Morton  was  not  grieved  or  angry  when 
it  was  declared,  after  a  thorough  survey  by  Cap- 
tain Hazard,  Coffin,  and  himself,  to  be  absolutely 


MORTON,  167 

necessary  to  procure  a  new  foremast  and  bowsprit 
for  the  ship  before  she  sailed — the  first  being  rot- 
ten, and  the  other  badly  sprung.  As  Captain 
Hazard  placed  the  most  implicit  confidence  in 
Morton's  capacity  to  purchase  and  superintend  the 
making  of  the  requisite  spars,  the  latter,  to  his  great 
joy,  was  requested  to  take  charge  of  the  shore  de- 
partment. By  this  arrangement  his  opportunities 
of  seeing  his  beloved  Isabella  occurred  several 
times  each  day. 

Though  there  had  been  no  formal  declaration 
of  love  between  them,  they  were  each  conscious 
that  they  loved  and  were  beloved  in  return  ;  the 
most  unreserved  confidence  existed  between  them, 
and  Morton,  who  felt  most  keenly  for  Isabella's 
unpleasant  situation,  had  repeatedly  hinted  at  the 
happiness  she  was  sure  to  enjoy  in  a  more  favored 
country,  if  she  would  leave  her  uncle's  house, 
and  take  passage  in  the  Orion  for  New  England. 
She  affected,  at  first,  not  to  understand  him ;  but 
when  it  became  impossible  to  avoid  perceiving  his 
meaning,  she  only  answered,  "  No,  no — I  cannot 
— I  dare  not ;"  but  the  answer  was  always  accom- 
panied with  a  sigh  and  a  tear ;  and  as  from  day 
to  day  he  informed  her  of  the  progress  the  ship 
made  in  her  repairs,  her  negative  became  fainter 
and  less  resolutely  expressed. 

Owing  to  the  necessity  of  making  some  repairs 
in  his  country  residence,  the  governor  and  his 
family  had  latterly  resided  altogether  in  St.  Bias ; 
and  as  the  puppy  Don  Gregorio  watched  with 


168  MORTON. 

a  suspicious  and  malignant  eye,  the  frequent 
visits  of  Morton,  the  lovers  had  generally  met  at 
the  house  of  Dame  Juanita,  the  front  of  which 
was  occupied  as  a  shop,  with  a  little  parlor  back 
of  it,  to  which  Isabella  had  access  by  passing  out 
of  the  gate  in  the  rear  of  her  uncle's  house,  with- 
out going  through  the  street. 

With  all  the  glowing  eloquence  of  young  love, 
and  hope,  and  confidence,  Morton  detailed  to  her 
the  thousand  and  one  schemes  that  his  fertile 
imagination  suggested ;  Isabella  could  see  but  one 
hideous  feature  in  them  all — the  dreadful  fate  that 
awaited  him  if  unsuccessful. 

"  Listen  to  me,"  said  he  one  day  to  her,  as  she 
had  been  urging  to  him  the  terrible  risk  he  en- 
countered— for  she  seemed  to  have  no  eyes  for  the 
certain  immuring  in  a  convent  that  awaited  her — 
"  listen  to  me,  dearest  Isabella  ;  the  ship  is  now 
nearly  ready ;  she  will  sail  in  three  or  four  days 
at  farthest,  and  will  sail  at  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  to  take  advantage  of  the  land-breeze.  I  will 
have  my  boat  at  the  quay,  and  horses  here  in  town  ; 
in  the  dusk  of  evening,  and  with  a  little  disguise, 
you  will  not  be  recognised  ;  there  is  no  guarda- 
costa  here  now,  and  before  the  sun  rises  we  shall 
be  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  beyond  the  reach  of 
pursuit." 

She  made  no  reply,  but  sat  pale  as  marble ;  the 
images  of  her  kind  and  affectionate  aunt  and  cou- 
sins, and  even  of  her  much-feared  but  still  much- 
loved  uncle,  floated  before  her  eyes,  and  seemed 
reproaching  her  with  unkindness  and  ingratitude ; 


MORTON.  169 

while,  on  the  other  hand,  her  fancy  painted  her 
the  wife  of  the  man  she  loved,  and  without  whom 
she  felt  life  would  be  wretched :  she  saw  herself 
surrounded  by  enlightened  and  polished  society, 
such  as  her  sainted  mother  had  graced  before  her ; 
she  saw  herself  moving  in  a  new  sphere,  and  ful- 
filling new  duties  :  then  imagination  placed  before 
her  bewildered  mind  the  sinfulness  of  deserting  the 
station  in  which  Heaven  had  placed  her.  She 
sighed  deeply  as  she  almost  determined  to  refuse, 
when  a  glimpse  of  her  abhorred  lover,  Don  Gre- 
gorio,  caused  a  sudden  and  violent  revulsion  of 
feeling,  and  to  Morton's  repeated  entreaties,  "  speak 
to  me,  dear  Isabella ;  say  yes,  love,"  she  at  length 
murmured  a  scarcely  audible  or  articulate  consent. 
The  delighted  seaman  caught  her  in  his  arms,  and 
pressed  kiss  after  kiss  upon  the  lips  of  the  strug- 
gling, blushing  girl. 

"  Remember,  love,"  said  he,  as  they  parted,  "  be 
punctual  here  three  nights  hence.  I  will  have 
horses  ready  at  the  end  of  the  street,  and  before 
day  dawns  you  shall  be  safe." 

There  was  still  one  thing  to  be  done,  and  that 
was  to  obtain  the  consent  of  Captain  Hazard,  who, 
though  an  excellent,  kind-hearted  man  in  the  main, 
had  some  rather  old-fashioned  notions  of  propriety, 
especially  in  outward  form,  and  would,  as  Morton 
knew  full  well,  have  very  serious  objections  to  ad- 
vance against  such  a  mad  scrape  ;  but  he  trusted 
to  the  fondness  of  the  good  old  seaman  towards 
him,  and  his  own  upright  and  honorable  inten- 
tions, to  overthrow  all  the  veteran's  scruples. 


CHAPTER     VIII. 


ON  the  morning  of  the  day  that  the  above  arrange- 
ment was  made  by  the  parties  concerned,  Captain 
Hazard  observed  that  Morton  had  despatched  his 
breakfast  very  hastily,  and  was  on  deck,  waiting 
for  his  boat's  crew  to  finish  their  meal,  long  before 
the  Captain  and  Mr.  Coffin  had  shown  any  symp- 
toms of  pausing  in  their  discussion  of  salt  beef, 
coffee,  and  pilot  bread. 

"What  can  be  the  matter  with  Mr.  Morton 
lately  ?"  said  the  old  seaman  to  his  second  officer  ; 
"  he  was  never  so  fond  of  going  ashore  any  where 
else,  and  now  here  he's  off  and  into  his  boat,  like 
a  struck  black-fish." 

"  Why,  I  some  expect,"  said  Coffin,  "  there's  a 
petticoat  in  the  wind." 

"The  devil!  who?" 

"  Well,  I  rather  guess  it's  that  pretty  blue-eyed, 
English-looking  girl,  that  came  on  board  with  old 
Don  Blow-me-down,  when  he  first  came  in  here." 

"  Ah  !  I  recollect  her.  I  thought  Morton  seemed 
to  take  a  shine  to  her." 

"  They  say  she's  Don  Strombolo's  niece." 


MORTON.  171 

"  They  may  tell  that  to  the  marines  ;  she  don't 
look  no  more  like  the  rest  on  'em  than  the  devil 
looks  like  a  parson." 

"  I  don't  know"  said  Coffin  gravely,  "  how  the 
devil  looks  ;  but  they  say  he  can  put  on  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  angel  of  light,  and  I  don't  see  why 
'taint  jist  as  easy  for  him  to  put  on  a  black  coat, 
and  come  the  parson  over  us  poor  sinners." 

"  Well,  well ;  she's  a  sweet  pretty  girl,  and 
looks  kind  o'  as  though  she  wasn't  over  and  above 
in  good  spirits." 

"  Well,  now,  I  some  guess  I  know  a  little  some- 
thing about  that." 

"  Why  how  the  d did  you  come  to  make 

yourself  busy  ?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  there's  an  old  woman  keeps  a 
pulparia*  close  to  the  old  Don's  rookery." 

"Hum  !  so,  Mr.  Sam  Coffin,  when  you're  cruis- 
ing for  information,  you  overhaul  the  women's 
papers  first  and  foremost." 

"  Why  you  see,  Captain  Hazard,  if  you  ask  one 
of  these  men  here  a  civil  question,  all  you  can  get 
out  of  the  critter  is  that  d — d  '  quien  sabe,'  and 
blast  the  any  thing  else." 

"  Can  sarvy  !  why  that  sounds  like  Chinaman's 
talk ;  what  does  it  mean  ?" 

"  It  means  '  who  knows,'  and  that's  the  way 
they  answer  pretty  much  all  questions." 


*  Pulparia,  a  small  shop,  generally  pronounced   pulparec. — 
Diabolus  Typographicus. 


172  MORTON. 

"  Well,  what  was't  you  was  going  to  say  about 
the  girl?" 

"  Well,  the  old  woman  told  me  the  girl's  mother 
was  an  Englishwoman."  ' 

"I  told  you  she  wasn't  clear  Spanish — and 
being  a  girl,  so,  why  she  takes  altogether  after  the 
mother." 

"  And  the  old  woman  said  furdermore,  that  her 
mother  wasn't  a  Catholic  ;  she  was  a  what-d'ye- 
call-'em." 

"A  Protestant,  I  s'pose  you  mean." 

"  Yes,  yes,  a  Protestant— that's  it.  Well,  you 
see,  her  mother  did  not  die  till  this  girl,  her  darter, 
was  nigh  upon  sixteen  years  old,  and  it's  like  the 
old  lady  eddicated  her  arter  the  same  religion  she 
was  brought  up  in  herself." 

"  Aye,  now  I  begin  to  see  into  it  all." 

"  Well,  so  you  see,  as  nigh  as  I  can  make  out, 
for  the  old  woman  wouldn't  talk  right  out — only 
kept  hinting  along  like." 

"  Hum  !  a  woman  generally  can  hint  a  d — d 
sight  more  than  when  she  speaks  right  out." 

"Well,  so  it  seems  this  Isabella,  being  half 
English  and  whole  Protestant,  won't  exactly  steer 
by  their  compass  in  religious  matters." 

"  Poor  girl !  poor  innocent  little  creature  !" 

"  Well,  I  got  a  talking  'long  with  the  old  woman, 
and,  arter  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  I  got  hold  of 
pretty  much  the  whole  history  about  this  'ere  girl. 
So  she  told  me,  amongst  other  things,  that  the  girl's 


MORTON.  ITS 

uncle  wanted  her  to  marry  one  of  them  officers 
that  was  aboard  that  day." 

"  Which  of  them  ?" 

"  That  thundering  cockroach-legged  thief,  that 
was  copper-fastened  with  gold  lace  and  brass  but- 
tons chock  up  to  his  ears,  with  a  thundering  great 
broadsword  triced  up  to  his  larboard  quarter  and 
slung  with  brass  chains."  • 

"  Ah  !  I  recollect  him." 

"  And  so  do  I,  blast  his  profile.  He  cut  more 
capers  than  the  third  mate  of  a  Guineaman  over 
a  dead  nigger,  and  went  skylarking  about  decks 
like  a  monkey  in  a  china-shop." 

"  I  took  notice  that  he  looked  marline-spikes  at 
Mr.  Morton  for  paying  so  much  attention  to  the 
girl." 

"  Aye,  that  he  did  ;  but  I  worked  him  a  traverse 
in  middle  latitude,  sailing  on  that  tack.  I  got  him 
and  the  rest  on  'em  into  the  steerage,  and  Mr.  Mor- 
ton and  the  girl  had  a  good  half  hour's  discourse 
to  themselves  in  the  cabin." 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  have  Mr.  Morton  try  to 
engage  the  poor  girl's  affections  ;  and  if  I  thought 
he  had  any  improper  intentions  towards  her,  I 
would  go  ashore  immediately,  and  speak  to  the  old 
governor  about  it." 

"  Well  now,  Captain  Hazard,  I  guess  there  isn't 
no  danger  on  that  tack.  Mr.  Morton  may  go  adrift 
now  and  then  among  the  girls,  and  where's  the 
man  that  doesn't  ?  No,  no  ;  Charlie  Morton  isn't 
none  of  them  sort  that  would  gain  a  poor  girl's 

15 


174  MORTON. 

affections  only  to  ruin  her.  No  no ;  he's  too  ho- 
norable and  noble-spirited  for  such  a  rascally 
action  as  that." 

"  Well,  I  am  of  your  opinion.  So  now,  Mr.  Cof- 
fin, we'll  set  up  our  fore-rigging  for  a  full  do  ;  for 
we  must  sail  Wednesday  evening,  right  or  wrong." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

When  Morton  returned  to  the  ship  at  night,  he 
hastened  to  lay  before  Captain  Hazard  the  history 
of  his  love,  and  his  plans  for  bringing  it  to  a  suc- 
cessful crisis,  declaring  that  his  intentions  were 
strictly  honorable,  and  that  the  lady  might  easily 
pass  upon  the  crew  as  a  passenger.  The  old 
seaman  heard  him  to  an  end,  as  he  urged  his  re- 
quest with  all  the  fervor  of  youthful  eloquence 
and  love  ;  and,  having  scratched  his  head  for  a 
while,  as  if  to  rouse  himself,  and  be  convinced 
that  he  was  awake,  replied  : 

"  A  queer  sort  of  business  this  altogether,  my 
son  ;  I  don't  exactly  know  what  to  make  of  it — 
what  will  your  father  say  to  your  bringing  home 
a  young  cow-whale,  in  addition  to  your  share  of 
the  oil  ?" 

"Make  yourself  easy  on  that  score,  my  dear 
sir  ;  I  know  my  father  wishes  to  have  me  quit 
going  to  sea,  and  marry." 

"  Yes,  but  is  not  a  wife,  brought  into  your  fa- 
mily in  this  way,  liable  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
sort  of  contraband  article — run  goods  like  ? 

"  I  am  not  much  afraid  of  that,  on  my  father's 
part,"  said  Morton ;  "  and  if,"  he  continued, 


MORTON.  175 

laughing,  "  if  the  grave  old  ladies  of  ray  acquaint- 
ance find  fault,  I  can  quiet  them  in  a  moment,  by 
quoting  the  conduct  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  in 
a  similar  situation,  by  way  of  precedent." 

"  Ah,  Charlie  !  your  scheme,  I  am  afraid,  is  all 
top-hamper,  and  no  ballast ;  wont  the  enemy  give 
chase?  I  am  sure  that  Don — Don — what's  his 
name,  that  young  officer,  more  than  suspects  your 
good  standing  in  the  young  lady's  affections  : 
wont  he  alarm  the  coast,  and  put  the  old  folks  up 
to  rowing  guard  round  her,  so  that  you  can't  com- 
municate ?  Ay,  that  he  will." 
,  "  Trust  me  for  that,  sir  ;  if  I  cannot  weather 
upon  any  Spaniard  that  ever  went  unhanged, 
either  Creole  or  old  Castilian,  I'll  agree  to  go  to 
the  mines  for  life." 

"  Don't  be  too  rash,  my  dear  boy ;  though  the 
Spaniards  are  only  courageous  behind  shot-proof 
walls,  and  when  they  numlier  three  to  one,  they 
are  deceitful  as  well  as  cruel ;  and,  if  their  suspi- 
cions are  once  excited,  they  will  murder  you  at 
once,  and  her  too,  poor  girl  !  and  think  they  are 
doing  God  service,  because  'you  are  both  Pro- 
testants." 

"  I  can  only  repeat,  trust  to  my  prudence  and 
management ;  I  have  too  much  at  stake  to  hazard 
it  lightly." 

"  Then  remember,  Charles,  we  sail  Wednesday 
evening  ;  it  will  be  star-light,  but  not  too  dark  to 
see  your  way.  I  will  defer  sailing  till  eleven 
o'clock,  if  that  will  suit  your  schemes." 


176  MORTON. 

"  It  will  exactly ;  or  if  you  sail  the  moment  I 
return,  so  much  the  better." 

With  these  words,  they  separated — Morton, 
overjoyed  at  the  completion  of  his  preliminary 
arrangements,  all  night,  like  Peter  Pindar's  dog, 

"  lay  winking, 
And  couldn't  sleep  for  thinking." 

The  appointed  day  at  length  arrived ;  but  the 
destinies,  who  had  hitherto  spun  the  thread  of  the 
two  lovers'  fate  as  smooth  and  even  as  a  whale- 
line  yarn,  now  began  to  fill  it  full  of  kinks.  Well 
did  the  ancients  represent  them  as  three  haggard, 
blear-eyed,  wrinkled,  spiteful,  old  maids,  who 
would  not  allow  any  poor  mortal  to  live  or  die 
comfortably,  and  who  took  a  malicious  pleasure 
in  disturbing  "  the  course  of  true  love."  The 
inexorable  Atropos  brandished  her  scissors,  and  at 
one  snip  severed  the  thread  asunder. 

During  the  night  there  had  been  a  tremendous 
thunder-squall,  and  the  morning  showed  huge 
"double-headed"  clouds,  mustering  in  different 
parts  of  the  horizon,  and,  apparently,  waiting 
some  signal  to  bid  them  commence  operations  ; 
others,  dark  and  suspicious  looking,  but  of  a  less 
dense  consistence,  were  seen  scampering  across 
the  firmament  in  all  directions,  like  aids-de-camp 
before  a  general  engagement ;  the  land-breeze  had 
been  interrupted  by  the  night-squall,  and  the 
wind,  what  little  there  was,  blew  from  every  point 
of  the  compass  but  the  usual  one  ;  the  shags,  that 


MORTON.  177 

tenanted  the  top  of  Pedro  Blanco,  seemed  unu- 
sually busy,  as  if  anticipating  a  change  of  wea- 
ther ;  and,  in  short,  every  thing  announced  that 
the  delightful,  -salubrious,  dry  season  had  come  to 
an  end,  and  the  empire  of  continual  rain,  and 
drizzle,  and  cloud,  and  mud,  and  putrid  fevers, 
and  rheumatism,  and  every  thing  disagreeable, 
had  commenced.  Still  the  day  was  delightful 
after  ten  o'clock,  and  the  weather  as  clear  as 
ever. 

Morton  had  seen  these  indications  of  the  ap- 
proach of  wet  weather  with  no  small  anxiety  ;  he 
knew  full  well  that  the  governor  and  his  family 
would  pass  the  rainy  season  at  Tepic,  a  city  about 
ninety  miles  from  the  coast,  or  at  some  of  the 
other  large  towns,  in  the  more  elevated  and 
healthy  regions  inland.  With  Captain  Hazard's 
permission,  he  hastened  to  the  town,  and  to  Juan- 
ita's  house,  but  Isabella  was  not  to  be  seen.  After 
waiting  for  some  time,  a  little  girl  brought  him  a 
short  note,  simply  saying  that  she  would  see  him 
in  the  evening,  but  could  not  before.  With  this 
promise  he  was  obliged  to  content  himself,  and 
rode  slowly  back  to  the  Porte.  He  was  punctually 
on  shore  again  at  sunset,  and  once  more  hastened 
to  town,  having  hired  another  horse,  and  directed 
his  boat's  crew  not  to  go  away  from  the  quay. 
Having  secured  his  horses  at  a  certain  place  near 
the  zig-zag  descent  towards  the  harbor  already 
mentioned,  he  passed  into  the  plaza,  and  was 
struck  with  consternation  and  despair,  at  seeing 

15* 


178  MORTON. 

assembled  before  Don  Gaspar's  door,  horses  and 
mules  in  abundance,  caparisoned  for  a  journey. 
In  fact,  there  was  indisputable  proof  that  the  fa- 
mily were,  in  military  parlance,  on  the  route. 

He  hastened  to  the  good  dame  Juanita's,  and,  in 
a  few  minutes,  Isabella  entered  the  room,  and, 
throwing  off,  in  her  distress,  all  unnecessary  re- 
serve, threw  herself  weeping  into  his  arms. 

"  All  is  over,  dear  Charles,  all  is  lost — I  set  out 
to-night  for  Tepic,  and  we  shall  never  meet  again 
but  in  heaven." 

"  All  is  not  lost,  my  own  Isabella ;  every  thing 
is  in  readiness — fly  then  with  me — while  your 
family  are  in  confusion  you  will  not  immediately 
be  missed,  and,  before  an  hour  passes,  you  shall 
be  safe  on  board." 

"  No,  no  ;  I  dare  not,  I  cannot." 

To  all  his  entreaties  she  seemed  deaf,  positively 
refusing  to  consent  to  escape  with  him  ;  but  whe- 
ther from  fear  of  being  overtaken,  or  from  maid- 
enly timidity,  it  would  be,  perhaps,  difficult  to 
decide.  At  last,  Morton,  who  was  nearly  beside 
himself  with  disappointment  and  vexation,  re- 
lapsed into  a  short  and  stupified  silence. 

"Isabella,"  said  he,  at  length,  and  with  com- 
posure that  startled  her,  "  reflect  for  one  moment 
upon  your  situation  ;  you  know  your  uncle's  tem- 
per ;  you  know  he  is  not  a  man  that  will  easily 
give  up  any  of  his  plans — this  is  your  only  chance 
for  escape  from  the  fate  you  dread ;  do  not  then 
reject  it." 


MORTON.  179 

She  only  answered  with  tears,  and  continued 
to  repeat,  as  if  mechanically,  "  I  dare  not ;  no, 
no,  I  cannot."  Morton  was  silent  a  few  moments, 
when  a  sudden  ray  of  hope  enlivened  his*gloomy 
reverie. 

"  Hear  me,  dearest ;  there  is  one,  and  only  one, 
chance  left  yet.  If  your  uncle  urges  you  to  mar- 
ry, entreat  him  for  one  year's  delay.  Before  that 
time  expires,  I  trust  to  be  here  again.  Vessels 
are  constantly  fitting  out  from  the  United  States 
to  this  part  of  the  world — if  such  a  thing  can  be 
effected  by  mere  human  agency,  I  will  be  on 
board  one  of  them ,  if  not,  I  both  can  and  will 
purchase  and  fit  out  a  vessel  myself.  Promise 
me  then,  my  love,  that  you  will  use  all  possible 
means  to  defer  any  matrimonial  schemes  your 
uncle  may  form  for  at  least  two  years.  But  I 
trust,  if  my  life  and  health  are  spared,  that,  before 
half  that  time  has  expired,  I  shall  be  here,  to  claim 
your  first  promise." 

"  I  will,  I  will,  dear  Charles  ;  I  will  not  deceive 
you.  I  know  my  uncle  loves  me,  and  will  grant 
me  that  delay.  And  now  we  must  part ;  I  shall 
be  missed,  and  I  dare  not  stay  a  moment  longer. 
For  heaven's  sake,  keep  out  of  sight  of —  you  can 
guess  who  I  mean." 

A  parting  scene  between  two  lovers  had  always 
better  be  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  readers ; 
because  the  author,  unless  he  is  gifted  with  the 
power  of  a  Scott,  a  James,  an  Edgeworth,  or  a 
Sedgwick,  is  sure  to  disappoint  the  reader,  and 
himself  besides.  My  reader  must  therefore  draw 


180  MORTON. 

the  picture,  and  color  it,  to  his  or  her  own  pecu- 
liar taste,  and  fancy  an  interchange  of  kisses,  locks 
of  hair,  rings,  crooked  sixpences,  garters,  or  any 
thing  else  that  constitutes  circulating  medium  or 
stock  in  Love's  exchange  market. 

The  Orion  had  dropped  out  to  the  roads,  and, 
with  her  anchor  a  short  stay-peak,  her  topsails 
sheeted  home  but  not  hoisted,  and  her  whole  crew 
on  deck,  waited  only  for  her  first  officer.  Between 
nine  and  ten  o'clock  the  sound  of  approaching 
oars  was  heard,  but  in  a  moment  the  practised 
ears  of  Captain  Hazard  and  his  second  officer  per- 
ceived that  the  advancing  boat  pulled  very  lei- 
surely. 

"  Poor  Charlie  is  coming  off  empty-handed," 
said  Coffin. 

"  Yes,  I  was  afraid  the  bird  had  flown,  or  the 
enemy  was  alarmed.  I  am  sorry  for  it  from  my 
very  heart,  for  he  will  be  low  spirited  all  the  pas- 
sage home." 

"  Well,  I  aint  so  sure  about  that — I've  always 
found  salt  water  a  sartain  cure  for  love." 

"  I  dare  say  you  have,  Mr.  Coffin  ;  but  love  is 
like  strong  grog,  it  operates  dfferently  upon  differ- 
ent constitutions  and  dispositions." 

"  Well,  I  s'pose  that's  pretty  nigh  the  case.  A 
good,  stiff  glass  of  grog,  in  a  cold,  rainy  night, 
makes  me  feel  as  bright  as  a  new  dollar  for  a 
while,  but  then  it  soon  passes  off." 

"  I  am  afraid  poor  Morton's  love  is  too  deep- 
seated  to  be  worked  off  by  salt  water  or  absence. 
But  here  comes  the  boat — hail  her,  Mr.  Coffin." 


MORTON.  181 

"  Boat  ahoy  !" 

"  O-ri-on." 

"  Are  you  alone,  Mr.  Morton  T  said  the  captain 
in  a  low  voice,  as  that  gentleman  came  over  the 
side. 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  not  without  hopes  another  time." 

The  two  officers  then  descended  to  the  cabin, 
and  Morton  explained  the  cause  of  his  failure,  and 
expressed  his  determination  to  make  another  at- 
tempt as  soon  as  possible  after  his  arrival  in  New 
England.  Captain  Hazard  insisted  upon  his  turn- 
ing in  immediately,  to  recover  from  the  fatigue 
and  anxiety  he  had  undergone  during  the  day, 
and  to  his  remonstrances  laughingly  observed  that 
he  was  not  in  a  proper  state  of  mind  to  be  trusted 
with  the  charge  of  a  night-watch,  and  that  Robin- 
son, the  oldest  boat-steerer,  should  take  his  place. 
Coffin  earnestly  recommended  a  glass  of  hot  punch, 
as  "  composing  to  the  nerves  ;"  but  the  patient 
declined,  though  he  permitted  Captain  Hazard  to 
qualify  a  tumbler  of  warm  wine  and  water  with 
thirty  drops  of  laudanum. 

The  topsails  were  now  hoisted  aloft,  the  top- 
gallant-sails set,  and  the  anchor  weighed;,  and, 
with  a  fresh  breeze  off  the  land,  the  first  officer 
sound  asleep  and  dreaming  of  "  the  girl  he  left 
behind  him,"  a  press  of  sail,  and  the  starboard 
watch  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Coffin,  spinning 
tough  yarns  on  the  forecastle  and  calculating  the 
probable  amount  of  their  voyage,  the  stout  Orion 
left  the  Bay  of  St.  Bias  at  the  rate  of  eleven  geo- 
graphical miles  per  hour. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Alexander.— They  say  he  is  a  very  man  per  se, 

And  stands  alone. 
Cressida.— So  do  all  men,  unless  they  are  drunk,  sick,  or  have  no  legs. 

TROILUS  AND  CRBSBIDA. 

CHARLES  MORTON,  whom  we  have  somewhat 
abruptly  introduced  to  our  readers,  and  exhibited 
for  two  or  three  chapters,  without  much  explana- 
tion, was  the  only  surviving  child  of  a  wealthy 
merchant  in  one  of  the  sea-ports  in  the  southern 
part  of  Massachusetts.  He  had  received  a  liberal 
education,  as  a  collegiate  course  of  studies  is  at 
present,  and  in  many  instances  most  absurdly, 
called.  Morton  could,  however,  lay  a  just  claim 
to  be  called  liberally  educated.  He  went  to  col- 
lege without  contemplating  to  pursue  either  of  the 
three  learned  professions,  but  merely  to  acquire  a 
more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  classics,  his- 
tory, belles  lettres,  and  mathematics,  than  it  was 
then  supposed  he  could  obtain  elsewhere.  People 
begin  to  think  differently  at  the  present  period, 
and  have  a  faint  sort  of  notion  that  a  boy  can 
become  qualified  for  the  every  day  duties  of  life, 
or  for  practice  in  the  three  professions,  without 
having  received  a  diploma  from  a  college,  exclu- 
sively controlled  in  all  its  attitudes  and  relations 


MORTON.  183 

by  one  particular  sect  of  religion,  or  passing  four 
years  of  "  toil  and  trouble"  in  another  university, 
where  he  is  kept  wallowing  and  smothering  in  the 
darkness  of  metaphysics  or  the  more  abstruse  and 
higher  !  branches  of  mathematics ;  both  sciences 
as  utterly  useless  to  him  in  any  situation  of  life  as 
a  knowledge  of  the  precise  language  that  the  devil 
tempted  Eve  in,  and  which  some  ecclesiastical 
writers  have  laboured  to  prove  was  High  Dutch. 
I  have  been  several  times  to  different  parts  of  the 
East  Indies,  and  on  more  than  one  voyage  have 
kept  a  reckoning  out  and  home,  assisted  in  taking 
lunar  observations  and  those  for  determining  the 
the  time  and  variation  of  the  compass,  and  without 
knowing  any  more  of  algebra,  fluxions,  or  conic 
sections,  than  a  dog  knows  about  his  father. 

After  Morton  had  had  the  sacred  A.  B.  "  tailed 
on"  to  his  name  at  a  grand  sanhedrim  of  solemn 
blacked-gowned  fools,  sagely  called  a  commence- 
ment, because  a  youngster  there  finishes  his  stu- 
dies, he  felt  a  strong  desire  to  visit  "  the  round 
world  and  them  that  dwell  therein,"  and,  like 
many  New  England  youth,  not  only  then  but 
within  my  own  observation  and  time,  and  before 
the  signature  of  the  august  "prseses"  was  dry  on 
his  sheep-skin  diploma,  was  entered  as  an  under 
graduate  in  a  college  of  a  somewhat  different 
description — the  forecastle  of  a  large  brig  bound 
on  a  trading  voyage  up  the  Mediterranean — a 
school  not  one  whit  inferior  to  old  Harvard  itself 
for  morality,  and  one  where  a  man,  with  his  eyes 


184  MORTON. 

and  ears  open,  might  acquire  information  fifty 
times  more  valuable  than  any  that  could  be  drilled 
into  him  at  any  learned  seminary  whatever — a 
knowledge,  namely,  of  the  world  and  of  human 
nature. 

This  habit,  if  it  can  be  called  one.  of  exchang- 
ing the  quiet  of  a  college  room  for  the  bustle  and 
privations  of  a  sea-life,  is  not  near  so  prevalent 
now  as  it  was  several  years  since  ;  and  yet  I  have 
known  many  instances,  and  have  repeatedly  met, 
in  merchantmen  and  men  of  war,  men  who  have 
received  a  collegiate  education,  and  have  known 
one  case,  on  board  of  an  English  line-of-battle  ship, 
the  Superb,  of  a  dissenting  minister,  a  foretopman, 
who  could  clear  away  a  foul  topsail-clewline,  or 
explain  an  obscure  passage  in  Scripture,  with  equal 
facility  and  address,  and  was  both  a  smart  seaman 
and  a  smart  preacher  : 

"  As  some  rats,  of  amphibious  nature, 
Are  either  for  the  land  or  water." 

It  is  a  pity  our  professional  men  do  not  travel 
more,  especially  clergymen,  who,  though  generally 
learned  men,  are  not  deep  in  the  knowledge  of 
their  own  species.  Of  course  I  do  not  apply  this 
remark  to  the  Methodist  clergy  ;  as  their  vagabond 
life  makes  them  but  too  well  acquainted  with  the 
weaknesses  of  one  portion  of  the  human  race, 
while  the  alarming  and  arbitrary  dominion  they 
thereby  acquire  over  the  minds,  bodies,  and  estates 
of  both  sexes,  is  beautifully  illustrated  in  the  trial } 


MORTON.  185 

not  many  years  since,  of  a  reverend  gentleman  of 
oil  of  tansy  and  hay-stack  celebrity. 

Morton's  first  voyage  was  rather  a  long  one,  but 
it  introduced  him  to  the  most  interesting  portion 
of  the  world,  the  nations  bordering  upon  the  Medi- 
terranean, while  his  knowledge  of  the  Latin  lan- 
guage was  of  no  small  advantage  to  him  in  acquir- 
ing a  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  and  Italian — an 
advantage  that  he  certainly  did  not  think  of,  when 
he  was  plodding  through  Virgil  and  Horace,  Cicero 
and  Tacitus.  He  returned  from  his  first  voyage 
a  thorough  practical  seaman,  and  more  than  tole- 
rably acquainted  with  European  languages.  He 
rose  in  his  profession,  and  might  at  the  time  we 
introduced  him  have  commanded  a  ship ;  but  a 
sudden  desire  to  go  at  least  one  whaling  voyage 
seized  him,  and  a  whaling  he  accordingly  went. 
In  person  Morton  was  above  the  middling  height, 
some  inches  above  it,  in  short  he  had  attained  the 
altitude  of  five  feet  eight  inches — my  own  height 
to  a  fraction.  Like  most  young  men  born  in  New 
England,  and  who  choose  a  seafaring  life,  his 
frame  had  acquired  a  robustness  and  solidity,  his 
countenance  a  healthy  brown,  his  chest  a  depth, 
and  his  shoulders  a  breadth,  that  are  each  and  all 
considered — and  with  justice — by  the  present  gene- 
ration, as  irrefragable  proofs  and  marks  of  vul- 
garity. But  folks  thought  otherwise  thirty  years 
since,  and,  however  incredible  it  may  appear,  there 
are  actually  now  in  existence  a  great  many  paint- 
ers, sculptors,  anatomists,  and  perhaps  as  many  as 

16 


186  MORTON. 

a  dozen  women,  who  persist  in  thinking  that  a 
human  being  looks  much  better  as  God  made  him, 
after  his  own  image,  than  as  the  tail  or  makes  him, 
after  no  image  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the  earth  be- 
neath, or  in  the  waters  under  the  earth.  Forty 
years  since,  ladies  did  not  by  tight  lacing  crush 
and  obliterate  all  symptoms  of  fulness  in  the  front 
of  the  bust,  nor  did  gentlemen  stun0  and  pad  their 
clothes  till  they  resemble  so  many  wet-nurses  in 
coats  and  breeches. 

It  was  the  established  rule  with  novel-writers, 
and  that  until  very  lately,  to  represent  their  heroes 
as  tall  grenadier-looking  fellows,  never  under  six 
feet,  and  as  much  above  as  they  dared  to  go,  and 
keep  within  credible  bounds.  "  Tall  and  slightly 
but  elegantly  formed,"  was  the  only  approved 
recipe  for  making  a  hero.  So  that  a  black  snake 
walking  erect  upon  his  tail,  provided  he  had  two 
of  them,  or  an  old-fashioned  pair  of  kitchen  tongs, 
with  a  face  hammered  out  upon  the  knob  by  the 
blacksmith,  would  convey  a  tolerably  correct  idea 
of  the  proportions  of  the  Beverleys,  and  Mortimers, 
and  Hargraves,  of  a  certain  class  of  novels.  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  Mr.  James,  and  most  of  the  best 
writers,  have  disbanded  this  formidable  regiment 
of  thread-paper  giants,  and  we  now  see  courage, 
manly  beauty,  talents,  wit,  and  eloquence,  reduced 
to  a  peace-establishment  size,  instead  of  those  long- 
splice  scoundrels,  that  used  to  go  striding  about 
our  imaginations,  like  Jack  the  giant-killer  in  his 
seven-league  boots,  kicking  the  shins  and  treading- 


MORTON.  187 

on  the  toes  of  every  common  sized  idea  that  came 
in  their  way. 

It  was  also  considered  indispensably  necessary, 
that  the  heroine  should  be  "  as  long  as  the  moral 
law,"  and  accordingly  we  heard  of  nothing  but 
"  her  tall  and  graceful  figure,"  "  her  majestic  and 
commanding  height,"  &c.  &c.  Let  those  who 
prefer  tall  women  take  them  ;  for  my  part,  I  wish 
to  have  nothing  to  say  to  such  Anakim  in  petti- 
coats :  conceive  the  embarrassment  and  confusion 
of  a  common  sized  bridegroom  compelled,  before  a 
room-full  of  company,  to  request  his  Titan  of  a 
bride  to  be  seated,  that  he  might  greet  her  with  the 
holy  kiss  of  wedded  love  !  On  the  other  hand,  it 
was  by  no  means  unusual  to  represent  the  heroine 
as  a  mere  pigmy  ;  so  that  the  lovers  whose  desti- 
nies we  were  interested  in,  might  be  represented 
by  the  following  lines  from  an  old  sea-song,  which, 
for  the  benefit  of  musical  readers  I  beg  leave  to 
observe,  is  generally  '-said  or  sung"  to  the  tune  of 
«  The  Bold  Dragoons :" 

"  He  looked  like  a  pole-topgallant-mast, 
She  like  a  holy-stone." 

Thank  Heaven  !  the  taste  for  this  species  of 
writing  has  <:  had  its  day,"  and  we  have  something 
better  in  the  place  of  it.  Bulwer  has  indeed  tried 
very  hard  to  compel  the  public  to  admire  mur- 
derers and  highwaymen,  and  our  own  dear,  dar- 
ling Cooper,  the  American  Walter  Scott,  has  held 
up  for  admiration  and  imitation  sundry  cut-throats, 


MORTON. 


hangmen,  pirates,  thieves,  squatters,  and  other 
scoundrels  of  different  degrees,  showing  his  parti- 
ality and  fellow-feeling  for  the  kennel ;  and,  if  he 
had  not  at  last,  as  we  say  at  sea,  "  blown  his  blast, 
and  given  the  devil  his  horn,"  would  have  ma- 
naged to  set  the  whole  female  portion  of  the 
romance-reading  community  to  whimpering  and 
blowing  their  noses  over  the  sorrows  of  Tardee 
and  Gibbs — the  wholesale  pirates  and  murderers, 
the  loves  of  Mina — the  poisoner,  the  trials  of 
Malborie  Briggs — the  counterfeiter,  or  the  buffet- 
ings  in  the  flesh  that  Satan  was  permitted  to 
bestow  upon  the  old  Adam  of  that  god-fearing 
saint,  Ephraim  K.  Avery. 

The  hero  of  a  novel  of  the  by-gone  class  was 
always  and  ex  ojficio  a  duellist ;  and  though  the 
best  English  writers  err  against  morality  and  reli- 
gion in  following  this  absurd  track,  it  may  be 
urged  in  extenuation  of  their  offence,  that  duelling 
is  generally  considered  in  Europe  as  part  of  a 
gentleman's  education  and  accomplishments,  and 
in  this  country  to  refuse  a  challenge  brands  a  man 
with  everlasting  infamy,  though  the  crime  is  held 
in  the  most  profound  speculative  abhorrence,  and 
every  state  has  a  whole  host  of  theoretical  punish- 
ments, never  inflicted,  ior  the  violation  of  its 
equally  theoretical  laws,  that  are  daily  evaded, 
outquibbled,  or  broken,  with  impunity. 

Morton's  countenance  we  have  taken  the  liberty 
to  describe  elsewhere.  His  disposition  was  na- 
turally cheerful  and  mild,  his  temper  even,  and  not 


MORTON.  189 

easily  provoked.  Although  somewhat  inclined  to 
taciturnity,  yet  when  drawn  out  to  converse  upon 
any  subject  he  was  acquainted  with,  he  was  na- 
turally fluent,  and  in  his  language  pure  and  correct. 
He  was  a  universal  favorite  with  the  youth  of  both 
sexes  in  his  native  town,  and,  during  the  intervals 
between  his  voyages,  was  always  in  demand  when 
a  Thanksgiving  ball  was  contemplated,  or  a  sleigh- 
ride,  or  a  "  frolic,"  as  all  such  parties  of  pleasure 
were  and  still  are  called  in  New  England.  At  sea 
he  was  always  beloved,  by  both  officers  and  sea- 
men, for  his  nautical  skill  and  good-nature.  Not- 
withstanding the  confinement  that  his  duties  made 
unavoidable,  he  had  managed  to  make  himself 
acquainted  with  men  and  manners,  and,  during 
the  many  leisure  hours  that  those  engaged  in  the 
whale-fishery  always  find,  he  had  amused  himself 
with  drawing — for  which  he  possessed  a  natural 
talent,  reading,  and  keeping  a  sort  of  memorandum 
of  different  occurrences  and  his  reflections  upon 
the  habits  of  the  different  nations  he  visited, — and 
was,  in  short,  one  of  those  somewhat  rare  but  still 
existing  prodigies,  a  well  educated,  well  informed 
gentleman  with  a  hard  hand  and  short  jacket, 
many  individuals  of  which  nearly  extinct  species 
of  animals  I  have  had  the  singular  good  fortune  to 
fall  in  with  during  my  voyage  through  life. 


16* 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Here  conies  Romeo,  here  conies  Romeo — without  his  roe,  like  a  dried  her- 
ring.   O  flesh,  flesh  !  how  art  thou  fishificd  !     - 

ROMIO  AKD  JOLIKT. 

UPON  his  return  to  his  dear  native  town,  Morton 
was  received  by  his  father  with  his  usual  quiet 
affection  ;  for  old  Mr.  Morton  was  one  of  that 
nearly  obsolete  school  of  parents,  husbands,  and 
members  of  society,  that  do  not  think  their  duties 
in  either  relation  require  any  sounding  of  trum- 
pets, and  who  are  of  opinion  that  those  who  feel 
most  deeply  and  sincerely  religion,  Christian  cha- 
rity, or  human  affections,  are  generally  people  who 
seldom  make  any  parade  of  either.  This  sect 
seems  to  be  very  nearly  extinct,  or  at  least  their 
leading  principles,  I  have  been  told,  are  exploded 
from  the  creeds  of  modern  saints  ;  but  as  my 
acquaintance'with  modern  saints  is,  thank  God, 
very  limited,  I  cannot  vouch  for  the  fact. 

It  was  not  long  after  Morton's  return,  when  the 
young  people  of  his  own  age  and  standing  began 
to  perceive  an  alteration  in  his  manners,  and  that 
he,  who  was  a  leader  in  their  gay  parties,  was  now 
a  moping,  stupid,  silent,  dull  creature,  without  any 
of  his  former  animation  and  gaiety.  The  young 


MORTON.  191 

ladies  took  it  for  granted  that  he  was  in  love  ;  and 
as  it  was  evident  that  he  was  not  in  love  with  any 
of  them,  why  of  course  some  nymph  in  the  Pacific 
had  stolen  his  heart ;  and  as,  moreover,  they  had 
no  idea  of  the  existence  in  that  remote  and  un- 
known quarter  of  creation  of  any  females  more 
fascinating  than  the  amphibious  and  lascivious 
damsels  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  (to  convert  whom 
from  the  error  of  their  ways,  more  missionaries 
have  been  sent  out,  or  volunteered  their  services, 
than  to  all  the  rest  of  the  "poor  ignorant  heathen" 
put  together,)  or  the  ladies  of  the  North  West 
Coast,  who  smell  too  strong  of  train-oil  to  compre- 
hend the  truths  of  Christianity,  or  rather  of  Gal- 
vanism, which  is  altogether  another  affair,  and 
who  are  in  consequence  left  in  their  original  and 
antediluvian  darkness. 

Impressed  with  this  idea,  and  feeling  both 
grieved  arid  mortified  that  so  excellent  a  young 
gentleman  as  Charles  Morton  should  give  himself 
up  to  such  an  absurd  and,  in  their  estimation, 
unnatural  passion,  the  young  ladies  of  New  Bed- 
ford determined  to  tease  him  out  of  it ;  much  upon 
the  same  principle  as  the  Roman  emperors  endea- 
vored to  suppress  the  Christian  religion  by  ex- 
posing its  professors  to  wild  beasts :  the  wild 
beasts  grew  fat  upon  Christians,  and  Christianity 
grew  fat  and  strong  upon  persecution.  Perhaps 
if  the  diademed  tyrants  had  treated  it  with  indif- 
ference, the  effects  would  have  been  otherwise. 

Whenever  poor  Morton  was  met  in  company, 


192  MORTON. 

he  was  always  the  object  of  ridicule  to  these 
lively  and  well-meaning  young  ladies. 

"  Pray,  Charles,  do  tell  us  something  about  this 
lady-love  of  yours ;  what's  her  complexion  ?" 

"How  much  train-oil  does  she  drink  in  the 
course  of  a  day  ?"  said  another. 

"Or  how  much  raw  shark  serves  her  for  a 
meal  ?"  asked  a  third. 

"Does  she  wear  a  spritsail-yard  through  the 
gristle  of  her  nose?"  said  a  fourth. 

"  Or  a  brass  ring  in  her  under  lip  ?"  said  a  fifth. 

"Is  she  tattooed  on  both  cheeks,  or  only  on 
one?"  said  a  sixth. 

Such  was  the  peculiar  style  of  banter  to  which 
he  was  sure  to  be  subjected,  whenever  he  went 
into  company ;  and  in  a  short  time  he  abstained 
from  visits,  and  devoted  his  time  to  perfecting  him- 
self in  his  nautical  studies,  and  making  diligent 
inquiries  after  vessels  bound  round  Cape  Horn. 
If  ever  you  noticed  it,  madam,  a  man  in  love  does 
not  relish  jokes  at  the  expense  of  his  idol.  "  Ne 
lude  cum  sacris,"  ecclesiastically  rendered,  signi- 
fies, do  not  make  fun  of  the  clergy ;  but  among 
lovers  it  means,  do  not  speak  of  my  love  with 
levity  or  contempt.  I  remember  when  I  was  in 
love  for  the  third  or  fourth  time — I  was  then 
studying  trigonometry  and  navigation — my  pas- 
sion being  unable  to  expend  itself  in  sonnets  to 
my  mistress's  eyebrow,  I  gave  way  to  geometrical 
flights  of  fancy,  and  took  the  altitude  of  every 
apple-tree  and  well-pole  in  the  neighborhood,  and 


MORTON.  19$ 

made  my  advances  to  her  upon  the  principles  of 
traverse  sailing. 

Nor  was  old  Mr.  Morton  unconscious  of  the 
great  alteration  in  his  son's  behaviour  while  at 
home,  so  unlike  any  thing  he  had  ever  observed 
before  in  him,  and  he  saw  the  change  with  no 
small  pain. 

"  The  poor  boy  cannot  have  fallen  in  love,"  said 
the  senior  to  himself;  "there  is  nothing  more 
amiable  than  a  copper-colored  squaw,  beyond 
Cape  Horn." 

One  Saturday  evening,  the  old  man,  being  com- 
fortably installed  in  his  leather- cushioned  arm- 
chair, with  his  pipe  and  pitcher  of  cider  (for 
merchants,  forty  years  since,  drank  cider  at  a 
dollar  the  barrel,  instead  of  London  particular  Ma- 
deira at  five  dollars  the  gallon,  and  the  conse- 
quences were — no  matter  what),  commenced  the 
conversation : 

"  Ahem !  well,  Charles,  my  son,  do  you  intend 
going  to  sea  again,  or  would  you  prefer  com- 
mencing business  ashore  ?  You  are  now  at  the 
age  when  most  young  men  think  of  settling  down 
for  life.  Let's  see — you  are  five-and-twenty,  are 
you  not  T 

"  Five-and-twenty  next  month,  father." 

"  Aye,  true ;  well,  it's  strange,  now  I  can  never 
recollect  your  age  without  looking  into  the  bible 
there.  I  recollect,  now,  it  was  so  stormy  that  we 
did  not  dare  to  carry  you  to  the  meeting-house, 


194  MORTON. 

and  so  Parson  Fales  christened  you  in  this  very 
room." 

"  I  wish,"  said  Charles,  speaking  with  difficulty, 
"  I  wish,  my  dear  sir,  to  make  one  more  voyage 
round  the  Cape  as  soon  as  possible,  and  then  I 
don't  care  if  I  never  see  a  ship  again." 

"  Well,  that's  strange  enough  ;  why,  what  have 
you  seen  in  that  part  of  the  world  so  very  en- 
ticing ?" 

"  Enticinsr,  indeed  !"  said  the  young  man,  spring- 
ing from  his  chair,  and  hurrying  across  the  room 
in  agitation ;  "  something  that  I  must  possess,  or 
die !" 

"Why,  what  a  plague — why,  what's  got  into 
the  boy?"  said  the  old  gentleman,  dashing  down 
his  pipe ;  "  you  have  n't  got  be-devilled  after  those 
island  girls,  like  a  young  fellow  that  I  knew  from 
Boston,  who  got  so  bewitched  after  the  copper- 
skinned,  amphibious  jades,  that  his  father  was 
finally  obliged  to  locate  him  there,  as  a  sort  of 
agent." 

"  O !  no,  no,  no !  she  is  as  white  as  my  own 
mother,  well  born,  well  educated,  and  a  Protest- 
ant," said  the  son,  hurrying  his  words  upon  each 
other;  for  he  felt  that  the  ice  was  broken,  and 
saw  the  old  gentleman's  countenance  lengthening 
fast ;  "  oh,  father,  if  you  could  but  see  her — if  you 
but  knew  her — " 

"  Hum,"  quoth  pa,  "  I  dare  say  that  sixty  and 
twenty-five  would  agree  to  a  charm  on  such  a 
subject ;  but  pray,  how  the  deuce  came  this  well 


MORTON.  195 

born,  well  educated,  white,  protestant  damsel  in 
the  Pacific,  where  the  devil  himself  would  never 
dream  of  looking  for  such  a  phenomenon'.2" 
"  It  is  a  long  story,"  said  Charles. 
"  If  that's  the  case,"  said  the  senior  Mr.  Morton, 
"  you  had  better  step  down  cellar,  and  draw  an- 
other mug  of  cider." 

So  saying,  he  replenished  his  pipe,  and  disposed 
himself  in  an  attitude  of  caltn  resignation.  As 
our  readers  are  already  acquainted  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  rise  and  progress  of  young  Morton's 
love,  we  shall  say  no  more  of  his  narrative  than 
that  towards  the  close  of  it  his  father  was  sur- 
prised out  of  his  gravity,  and  ejaculated  the  word 
"d — nation!"  with  great  emphasis,  at  the  same 
time  flinging  his  pipe  into  the  fire,  and  exclaiming 
by  way  of  sermon  to  his  short  and  pithy  text, 

"  Why  the  d — 1  didn't  you  bring  her  with  you, 
you  foolish  boy?  Why.  you  have  no  more  spunk 
than  a  hooked  codfish!  You'll  never  see  her 
again,  if  you  make  fifty  voyages  round  the  cape  ; 
she's  in  a  nunnery  by  this  time,  or,  what  is  more 
likely,  married  to  that  Don  What-d'ye-call-him." 

Charles  could  only  repeat  his  conviction  that 
neither  event  had  taken  place,  and  his  firm  re- 
liance upon  Isabella's  constancy. 

"  Fiddle-de-dee  !  A  woman's  constancy !  I 
would  as  soon  take  Continental  money  at  par !" 
was  his  father's  reply. 

Their  conversation  on  this  interesting  topic  was 
protracted  to  a  late  hour,  when  they  retired,  the 


196  MORTON. 

old  gentleman  to — sleep  as  sound  as  usual,  and 
Charles  to  yield  himself  most  unreservedly  to  the 
illusions  of  sanguine,  youthful  hope  and  love — 
that  love  that  one  never  has  very  severely  but 
once  in  his  life  ;  for  love  is  like  a  squall  at  sea ; 
the  inexperienced  landsman  sees  nothing  alarming 
in  the  aspect  of  the  heavens,  and  is  both  asto- 
nished and  vexed  at  the  bustle  and  hurry,  the 
" thunder  of  the  captain  and  the  shouting;"  but 
when  it  comes  "  butt-eend  foremost,"  he  suffers  a 
thousand  times  more  from  his  fears  than  the  old- 
est sailors.  After  one  has  become  acquainted  with 
the  disorder,  he  can  distinguish  its  premonitory 
symptoms,  and  crush  it  in  the  bud,  or  let  it  run  on 
to  a  matrimonial  crisis.  For  my  own  part,  I  can 
always  ascertain,  at  its  first  accession,  whether  it 
is  about  to  assume  a  chronic  form,  or  pass  off  with 
a  few  acute  attacks. 


CHAPTER    X. 

O  for  a  horse  with  wings ! 

CTKBELIHB. 

MORTON'S  low  spirits  and  anxiety,  on  his  return 
home,  arose  entirely  from  his  having  ascertained 
that  there  was  no  vessel  then  fitting  out  for  the 
Pacific,  except  whalemen  ;  and  as  their  route 
always  depends  upon  circumstances,  and  can 
never  be  calculated  beforehand  with  any  degree 
of  certainty,  he  declined  several  advantageous 
offers  in  them.  A  few  days  after  the  eclaircisse- 
ment  with  his  father,  he  learned  to  his  inexpressi- 
ble joy,  that  there  was  a  ship  fitting  out  at  Salem 
for  what  was  in  those  days  somewhat  facetiously 
denominated  a  "  trading  voyage  ;"  that  is,  an  ex- 
clusively smuggling  one. 

To  Salem,  then,  he  hastened,  furnished  with 
most  ample  and  satisfactory  letters  of  introduction 
and  recommendation.  He  waited  upon  the  own- 
ers of  the  ship,  and  was  by  them  referred  to  Cap- 
tain Slowly,  then  on  board.  At  the  very  first 
glimpse  of  this  gentleman,  he  felt  convinced  that 
there  was  no  chance  for  a  situation  on  board. 
Captain  Slowly  was  one  of  those  mahogany-faced, 

17 


198  MORTON. 

moderate,  slow-moving,  slow-speaking,  slow-eat- 
ing people,  that  one  occasionally  meets  with  in 
New  England,  who  are  the  very  reverse  of  Yan- 
kee inquisitiveness,  and  never  answer  the  most 
ordinary  question,  not  even  "What  o'clock  is  it?" 
in  less  than  half  an  hour ;  men  who,  in  short,  as 
they  never  ask  any  questions  themselves,  think  it 
not  worth  their  while  to  answer  any.  We  have 
been  several  times  horrified  by  such  people,  and 
our  fingers  have  always  itched  to  knock  them 
down." 

"Good  morning,  Captain  Slowly,"  said  our 
friend  Morton. 

The  captain,  hearing  himself  addressed,  went 
on  very  deliberately  with  the  examination  of  a 
jib-sheet  block  that  he  held  in  his  hand,  turning  it 
over  and  over,  and  spinning  the  sheave  round  with 
his  finger,  much  after  the  manner  of  a  monkey, 
with  any  object  he  does  not  understand — as,  for 
instance,  a  nut  that  he  cannot  crack — and  at  last 
replied, 

"  Morning." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Morton,  almost  mad  with 
impatience,  "  that  you  are  in  want  of  a  first 
officer ;  or  at  least,  so  says  Mr. ." 

Captain  Slowly,  having  cast  the  stops  off  a  coil 
of  running  rigging,  the  main-top-gallant  clewline, 
that  lay  at  his  feet,  and  fathomed  it  from  one  end 
to  the  other,  examining  all  the  chafed  places  with 
great  attention,  answered  with,  "  Was  you  want- 
ing to  go  out  in  the  ship  ?" 


MORTON.  199 

"  Yes  sir,"  said  Morton,  who  saw  what  kind  of 
a  dead-and-alive  animal  he  had  to  deal  with,  and 
was  determined  to  have  an  answer  from  him,  if  he 
beat  it  out  with  his  fists ;  and  though  his  heart 
revolted  at  the  bare  thoughts  of  passing  at  least  a 
year  in  the  same  ship  with  such  a  stupid  creature, 
yet  it  seemed  to  be  his  only  chance  for  reaching 
the  coast  of  Mexico  in  season ;  "  yes  sir,  and  the 
owners  have  directed  me  to  you  ;  they  know  that 
I  am  very  desirous  of  going  out  in  the  ship,  and 
they  approve  very  much  of  my  recommendations 
and  certificates.  My  name  is  Charles  Morton ;  I 
am  the  son  of  old  General  Jonathan  Morton,  of 
New  Bedford  ;  I  was  out  last  voyage  with  Captain 
Isaiah  Hazard,  of  Nantucket,  in  the  whaling  ship 
Orion ;  I  am  perfectly  well  acquainted  with  the  west 
coast  of  South  America,  from  Baldivia  to  St.  Joseph, 
and  up  the  Gulf  of  California ;  I  am  about  five- 
and-twenty  years  of  age,  and  have  been  three 
voyages  as  mate  of  a  vessel ;  for  further  particu- 
lars, I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to  the  papers  in  my 
pockets ;  I  am  somewhat  in  a  hurry,  arid  should 
feel  very  much  obliged  if  you  would  let  me  have 
your  answer  as  speedily  as  possible." 

Captain  Slowly,  who  had  never  heard  an  ora- 
tion of  one  quarter  part  the  length  addressed  to 
himself  before,  seemed  for  a  few  minutes  com- 
pletely bewildered.  At  last,  after  drawing  a  pro- 
digious long  breath,  he  ejaculated,  "  Well,  I  de- 
clare, I  never/' 

Morton,  having  waited  a   reasonable  time  to 


200  MORTON. 

give  the  man  a  chance  to  recover  his  scattered 
faculties,  at  last  asked,  "Well,  Captain  Slowly, 
what  do  you  think  of  it?  shall  we  make  a  bar- 
gain?" 

The  captain  was  now  completely  startled  out  of 
his  half  existent  state,  and  began  to  talk  and  act 
like  a  man  of  middle  earth ;  that  is,  he  began  to 
ask  questions. 

"  Well,  let's  see ;  you  say  you  was  'long  of  old 
Captain  Isaiah  Hazard  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  are  you  acquainted  with  him  ?" 

"  I've  heard  tell  on  him.  Let's  see,  where  do 
you  belong  ?" 

"  To  New  Bedford ;  are  you  much  acquainted 
down  that  way  ?" 

"Some." 

"Perhaps,  then,  you  may  know  my  father,  old 
General  Morton  ?" 

"I've  heard  tell  on  him" A  pause,  during 

which  Captain  Slowly  took  a  fresh  chew  of  to- 
bacco, and  Morton  looked  at  his  watch  with  great 

impatience "  Well,  let's  see ;  what  kind  of  a 

time  did  you  have  on't  'long  with  old  Captain 
Hazard?" 

"  Very  good." 

"  Make  a  pretty  good  v'y'ge  ?" 

"  Middling  ;  thirty-two  hundred  barrels." 

'<•  Well,  I  declare" — another  pause — "  well,  let's 
see.  Calculate  to  go  round  that  way  again  ?" 

"  Yes ;  and  that's  what  I  have  called  to  see  you 
about :  the  owners  approve  of  me,  and  have  sent 


MORTON.  201 

me  down  to  you,  and  I  wish  you  would  give  me 
an  answer." 

"  Well,  I  expect  I'm  supplied  with  both  my 
officers." 

"  I  thought  that  was  what  you  was  coming  to. 
Good  morning,  sir." 

"  Won't  you  step  down  below,  and  take  a  little 
so'thing  ?" 

"  No,  I  thank  yon  ;"  and  Morton  walked  away, 
cursing  him  by  all  his  gods. 

After  satisfying  himself  that  there  was  no  chance 
for  him  in  Salem,  he  returned  to  Boston.  Lounging 
about  the  wharves  the  next  day,  he  was  attracted 
towards  a  fine,  large,  new  ship  that  was  setting  up 
her  lower  rigging.  He  drew  near,  to  examine  her 
more  closely.  Her  guns  were  lying  on  the  wharf, 
as  were  also  her  boats  and  spare  spars.  From  the 
number  of  men  employed,  and  the  activity  with 
which  their  operations  were  carried  on,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  ship  was  to  be  off  as  soon  as  possible. 
Morton  stepped  on  her  deck :  an  elderly  man,  with 
a  fine,  open,  manly  countenance,  expressive  of 
great  kindness  of  disposition  and  goodness  of  heart, 
was  superintending  the  duty.  Morton  was  about 
to  address  him,  thinking  to  himself,  "  This  is  no 
Captain  Slowly,"  when  the  senior  gave  him  a  nod, 
accompanied  by  that  peculiar  half  audible  greeting 
that  passes  between  two  strangers, 

"  You  have  a  noble  ship  here,  sir,"  said  Charles, 
by  way  of  starting  the  conversation. 

"  Yes.  she  is— so,  nipper  all  that ;  Mr.  Walker, 

17* 


202  MORTON. 

you're  getting  that  main-mast  all  over  to  starboard 
— yes,  yes  ;  she's  a  fine  ship,  that's  certain.  Your 
countenance  seems  familiar  to  me,  and  yet  I  can't 
tell  where  'tis  I've  seen  you." 

"  I  belong  to  New  Bedford ;  my  name  is  Morton." 

"  Morton  !  what,  old  Jonathan  Morton's  son  ?" 

"  The  same,  sir." 

"  Why,  d — n  it,  man,  your  father  and  I  were  old 
schoolfellows — and  are  you  old  Jonathan  Morton's 
son  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  have  followed  the  sea  ever  since  I 
left  college,  and  am  now  looking  for  a  voyage." 

"  Well,  perhaps  we  can  suit  you ;  times  are  pretty 
brisk  just  now,  and  you  will  not  be  obliged  to  look 
long  or  far — and  are  you  Jonathan  Morton's  son  ?" 

After  a  short  explanatory  conversation,  a  bar- 
gain was  made. 

"And  when  will  you  be  ready  to  commence 
duty  r 

"  I  am  ready  this  moment,"  was  the  answer  of 
the  impetuous  young  man. 

"  No  you  are  not.  Don't  be  in  too  big  a  hurry ; 
take  your  own  time  ;"  and  they  parted,  mutually 
pleased  with  each  other;  Morton  treading  upon  air, 
and  very  much  disposed  to  build  castles  and  other 
edifices  in  that  unquiet  element. 

Reader,  if  thou  art  a  sailor,  thou  canst  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  pleasure  mixed  with  pain 
that  fills  and  agitates  the  heart  when  thou  hast 
unexpectedly  obtained  a  voyage  to  thy  liking.  It 
is  then  that  ideas  come  thick  and  fast  into  the 


MORTON.  203 

mind,  treading  upon  each  other's  heels,  and  climb- 
ing over  one  another's  shoulders  ;  the  parting  with 
much-loved  friends  ;  the  anticipated  delights  of  the 
voyage,  seen  through  that  bewitching,  multiplying, 
magnifying  glass,  the  imagination  ;  the  pride  and 
delight  that  fills  a  seaman's  breast  as  his  eyes  run 
over  the  beautiful  proportions  and  lofty  spars  of 
his  future  home  ;  all  these  feelings  are  worth,  while 
they  last,  an  imperial  crown.  But  soon  comes  the 
reality,  like  Beatrice's  "  Repentance  with  his  bad 
legs:"  bad  provisions,  bad  water,  and  not  half 
enough  of  either;  ignorant  and  tyrannical  officers; 
a  leaky,  bad-steering,  dull-sailing  ship  ;  the  vexa- 
tious and  harrassing  duty  of  a  merchantman,  where 
the  men  are  deprived  of  sufficient  sleep,  for  fear 
that  they  should  "  earn  their  wages  in  idleness," 
and  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  wholesome  food,  lest 
they  should  "grow  fat  and  lazy."  Such  is  the 
theory  and  practice  of  most  New-England  mer- 
chants :  it  was  different  forty  years  since,  and  the 
outfit  of  the  good  ship  Albatross  had  an  eye  to  the 
comforts  of  the  crew  as  well  as  the  profits  of  the 
owners  ;  for  merchants  then  thought  that  the  two 
were  inseparable — the  march  of  intellect  has 
proved  the  reverse. 

Although,  as  I  have  already  taken  occasion  to 
observe,  Fortune  is  peculiarly  hostile  to  lovers,  yet 
she  is  sometimes  "a  good  wench,"  and  so  she 
proved  herself,  at  least  for  a  time.  The  passage 
of  the  Albatross  from  the  cradle  of  liberty  and 
aristocracy  to  Valparaiso  was  unusually  short, 


204  MORTON. 

considering  that  vessels  outward  bound  at  that 
period  made  a  regular  practice  of  stopping  at  Rio 
Janeiro,  whether  in  want  of  supplies  or  not.  She 
was  singularly  fortunate,  likewise,  in  crossing  the 
"  horse  latitudes,"  not  being  becalmed  there  much 
over  a  week,  a  period  hardly  long  enough  to  call 
into  proper  exercise  the  Christian  virtues  of 
patience  and  resignation. 

Her  passage  into  the  Pacific  was  shortened  by 
another  fortunate  circumstance :  Captain  Williams 
was  an  adventurous  as  well  as  a  skillful  seaman, 
and  having  a  steady  breeze  from  the  north-east,  he 
ran  boldly  through  the  Straits  of  Le  Maire,  and 
thus  shortened  his  passage  perhaps  by  a  month ; 
for  ships  have  been  known  to  be  four  months  off 
Cape  Horn  beating  to  the  westward,  and  after  all 
obliged  to  bear  up  and  run  for  Buenos  Ayres  for 
supplies, 


CHAPTER    XI, 


Behold 

The  strong-ribb'd  bark  through  liquid  mountains  cut, 
Bounding  between  the  two  moist  elements, 
Like  Perseus'  horse. 

TROILPS  AMD  CRESSIDA 


IT  was  on  a  fine  Sunday  morning,  in  the  month 
of  December,  179—,  that  the  oblique  beams  of  the 
sun  were  reflected  back  by  the  snow  white  can- 
vass of  a  stately  ship  of  about  six  hundred  tons, 
that  with  a  fair  wind,  a  good  breeze,  and  all  sail 
set,  was  steadily  pursuing  her  course,  somewhat 
east  of  north.  She  was  in,  or  about,  the  latitude 
of  eighteen  north,  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
degrees  west  of  Greenwich  ;  consequently,  she 
was  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  not  far  from  the 
'  west  coast  of  Mexico.  The  north-east  trade-wind, 
which  is  generally  almost  due  east,  was  suffi- 
ciently free  to  allow  her  to  carry  her  starboard 
studding-sails,  under  which  she  flew  gracefully 
and  swiftly  on  her  appointed  course. 

The  weather,  as  usual  within   the   limits   of 
either  trade-wind,  was  extremely  beautiful  and 


206  MORTON. 

mild  ;  the  heat,  that  on  shore  in  the  same  latitude 
would  have  been  excessive,  was  moderated  by  the 
refreshing  breeze.  Indeed,  it  has  never  been  my 
lot  to  find  such  lovely  weather  in  any  other  part 
of  this  round  world,  as  we  meet  with  through  the 
whole  course  of  the  trade  winds.  The  long,  re- 
gular swell,  so  peculiar  to  that  part  of  the  ocean, 
gave  the  noble  ship  a  peculiarly  easy,  rolling  mo- 
tion, extremely  grateful  to  a  seaman,  as  the  regu- 
larity and  length  of  the  swell  is  a  certain  indica- 
tion of  a  continuance  of  good  weather.  As  she 
lifted  her  huge  bows  above  the  foaming,  sparkling 
wave,  her  bright  copper,  polished  by  dashing  so 
long  and  so  fast  through  the  water,  flashed  in  the 
sunbeams  like  burnished  gold  ;  at  the  same  time, 
her  temporary  and  partial  elevation  above  the 
surface,  revealed  a  sharpness  of  model  below  the 
water's  edge,  that  at  once  accounted  for  the  grace- 
ful and  majestic  swiftness  of  her  motion.  The 
whiteness  of  her  canvass,  and  her  bright-varnished 
sides,  sufficiently  indicated  her  to  be  a  Yankee, 
without  the  trouble  of  hoisting  the  "  gridiron." 

Her  stern  "  flared"  a  great  deal ;  that  is,  its  out- 
line formed  a  very  acute  angle  with  the  horizon, 
which  was  the  fashion  of  building  ships  forty 
years  since.  It  was  ornamented  with  a  great 
profusion  of  carved  work,  some  of  which  was 
hieroglyphical,  to  a  degree  that  would  have  puz- 
zled Champollion  ;  but  over  the  centre  were  two 
figures  in  bas-relief,  that  could  not  well  be  mis- 
taken, inasmuch  as  the  sword  and  scales  plainly 


MORTON.  207 

indicated  that  the  one  on  the  starboard  side  was 
Justice,  while  the  cap  on  the  point  of  a  lance 
"seemed  to  fructify"  that  her  companion  was  no 
other  than  Miss  Liberty. 

Liberty  goes  bare-headed  now — our  rulers, 
wisely  reflecting  that  she  is  upwards  of  fifty  years 
old,  and  has  arrived  at  years  of  discretion,  have 
ordered  her  to  leave  off  her  child's  cap.  There 
are  among  us  those  who  think  that  the  stripping 
will  go  further,  and  that,  in  a  short  time,  she  will 
be  as  bare  as  Eve. 

The  noses  of  both  goddesses  had  been  knocked 
off  shortly  after  they  condescended  to  mount 
guard  on  the  stern  of  the  good  ship  Albatross,  in 
consequence  of  coming  into  frequent  collision  with 
the  gunwale  of  the  jolly-boat,  as  she  ascended  and 
descended  to  and  from  her  station  at  the  stern 
davits.  At  her  quarter  davits,  on  each  side,  hung 
one  of  those  light,  swift,  and  somewhat  singularly 
shaped  boats,  called  whale-boats.  Eight  iron 
nine-pounders  on  each  side,  thrust  their  black 
muzzles  through  their  respective  ports,  and  gave 
her,  in  spite  of  her  bright- varnished  sides,  a  war- 
like appearance. 

The  upper  part  of  her  cut-water  was  fashioned 
into  a  scroll,  like  the  volute  of  an  Ionic  pillar, 
forming  what  is  called,  by  naval  architects,  a 
"  billet  head  ;"  and  which,  for  its  neatness  and 
beauty,  is  very  generally  adopted,  both  in  national 
vessels  and  merchantmen.  Nor  was  the  bow 
without  its  share  of  hieroglyphics ;  on  one  side 


208  MORTON. 

were  displayed  a  bee-hive,  a  bale  of  cotton,  and  a 
crate  of  crockery ;  and  on  the  other,  a  globe, 
an  anchor,  a  quadrant,  and  a  chart  partly  un- 
rolled. 

Her  royals  were  set  flying,  a  technicality  that 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  explain  ;  she  had  no  flying- 
jib,  nor  any  of  those  pipe-stem  spars  that  are  got 
aloft  only  in  port,  to  make  a  ship  look  more  like 
the  devil  than  she  otherwise  would,  and  are  al- 
ways sent  down  and  stored  away  when  she  goes 
to  sea.  ,  Ships,  forty  years  since,  carried  no  spars 
aloft  but  such  as  were  stout  enough  to  carry  sail 
upon,  in  fair  weather  or  foul — sliding-gunter  sky- 
sail  masts,  and  other  useless  sticks,  were  as  much 
unknown  to  ship-builders  and  riggers,  as  rail- 
roads and  steam-boats. 

Sitting  upon  the  weather  hencoop,  attached  to 
the  companion,  or  entrance  to  the  cabin,  with 
spectacles  on  nose,  and  a  well-worn  bible  on  his 
knees,  sat  an  elderly  man,  the  commander  of  the 
ship.  He  was  tall,  and  very  strongly  built ;  long 
exposure  to  the  weather,  in  every  variety  of  cli- 
mate, had  bronzed  his  countenance,  and  given 
him  an  older  look  than  his  real  years  would  have 
done  under  other  circumstances  ;  but  at  the  same 
time,  long  exposure  to  the  weather  had  hardened 
his  frame,  and  strengthened  his  constitution, 
points  of  some  importance  forty  years  since ;  so 
that  his  chances  for  a  long  life  were  much  better 
than  those  of  a  man  of  forty,  especially  one  of 
modem  date,  who  had  never  allowed  "  the  winds 


MORTON.  209 

of  heaven  to  visit  his  face  too  roughly."  His  age 
was,  in  short,  about  sixty.  His  countenance,  not- 
withstanding the  rude  and  ungenteel  manner  with 
which  the  winds  and  the  weather  had  treated  it, 
was  indicative  of  much  good-nature  and  benevo- 
lence of  disposition.  He  raised  his  head  from  time 
to  time,  looked  aloft  at  the  sails,  occasionally  ad- 
dressed a  word  or  two  to  the  mate  of  the  watch, 
who  was  walking  fore  and  aft  the  quarter-deck, 
and  then  resumed  his  reading. 

In  the  weather  mizen -shrouds  was  a  remarkably 
handsome  young  man,  of  four  or  five  and  twenty, 
busily  engaged  in  hanging  out  to  air  his  "go- 
ashore"  clothes ;  a  very  common  Sunday  morning 
occupation  at  sea,  when  the  weather  is  fine.  Ap- 
parently the  sight  of  his  gay  garments  had  called 
up  a  train  of  ideas  of  a  very  varied  and  checkered 
hue,  to  judge  from  the  different  expressions  that 
flitted  across  his  fine  manly  countenance,  at  one 
moment  shaded  with  anxiety  and  doubt,  at  ano- 
ther bright  with  hope  and  joy.  In  height  he  was 
about  five  feet  eight  or  nine  inches,  strongly  and 
compactly  built,  but  far  too  stout  and  athletic,  too 
broad-shouldered  and  thin-flanked,  to  pass  muster 
ns  an  exquisite  in  Broadway  ;  as  his  form,  though 
anatomically  perfect,  a  model  for  a  statuary,  and 
considered  very  fine  by  the  ladies  of  his  acquaint- 
ance forty  years  since,  would  be  altogether  out  of 
date  at  the  present  day.  His  countenance,  of  an 
oval  form,  and  shaded  by  rich,  curling,  chesnut 
hair,  from  exposure  to  the  weather,  had  acquired 

18 


210  MORTON. 

that  healthy  brown  that  ladies  do  not  dislike  in  a 
young  man's  face,  though  they  carefully  eschew 
any  thing  that  will  in  reality  or  imagination  pro- 
duce it  in  their  own  lovely  physiognomies. 

It  may  be  a  mere  old  bachelor's  whim  of  mine, 
but  it  always  has  appeared  to  me  that  ladies  who 
have  had  the  advantage  of  mixing  much  in  soci- 
ety, and  seeing  something  of  human  nature,  are 
not  peculiarly  partial  to  that  effeminate  fairness  of 
complexion  that  many  fashionable  gentlemen  are 
so  careful  to  preserve,  when  they  have  it  by  na- 
ture, or,  when  nature  has  been  unkind,  to  obtain 
by  artificial  means  ;  so  that  Dogberry's  axiom, 
that  "  to  be  a  well-favored  man  is  the  gift  of  for- 
tune," is  not  altogether  absurd.  At  any  rate,  I 
have  seen  many  a  "cherry  ripe"  lip  curled  with 
an  expression  of  irrepressible  scorn  when  the 
owner  of  the  lip  was  accosted  by  one  of  these  very 
fair,  delicate-skinned  gentlemen.  Girls  just  let 
out  of  a  boarding-school  generally  run  mad  after 
these  animals  ;  but  ladies  who  have  gone  through 
one  or  two  husband-hunting  campaigns,  are  not  to 
be  taken  in  by  such  painted  butterflies  :  they  very 
wisely  conclude  that  a  man  who  takes  such  a 
reverend  care  of  his  complexion  worships  none 
but  himself,  and  of  course  he  will  have  no  devo- 
tion to  spare  to  his  wife. 

But  to  return  to  the  gentleman  we  have  left 
dangling  in  the  starboard  mizzen-rigging  of  the 
ship  Albatross  :  his  countenance  was  indeed  some- 
what tanned,but  his  forehead  was  as  clear  and  white 


MORTON.  811 

as  ivory  ;  its  breadth  and  openness  gave  an  expres- 
sion of  frankness  and  candor  to  his  face, — so  that, 
taken  altogether,  his  physiognomy,  though  not 
regularly  perfect,  was  exceedingly  prepossessing. 

The  second  officer,  who  was  walking  the  deck, 
being  the  officer  of  the  watch,  was  also  a  very 
good-looking  young  man,  with  large  black  whisk- 
ers, and  was  two  or  three  years  younger  than  his 
messmate  in  the  rigging.  His  frequent  stoppages 
at  the  caboose-house,  to  confer  with  the  cooks, 
indicated  the  second  mate,  who  is  always,  for 
some  reason  or  other,  a  sort  of  "  Betty,"  or  "  cot- 
quean,"  as  Shakspeare  calls  it,  continually  quid- 
dling  about  the  galley,  to  the  annoyance  of  the 
doctor,  as  the  ship's  cook  is  generally  nailed. 

About  the  after-hatchway  were  seated  the  gun- 
ner and  sail  maker,  both  engaged  patching  old 
clothes, — while  the  old  carpenter,  like  the  captain, 
was  reading  the  bible, — and  the  armorer  was 
lying  flat  on  his  back,  and  singing.  A  very  pretty 
boy  of  fourteen,  an  apprentice  to  the  captain,  was 
playing,  or  in  sea  language  "  skylarking/'  with  a 
huge  Newfoundland  dog.  I  might  as  well  com- 
plete the  role  d 'equipage  of  the  good  ship  Alba- 
tross, by  observing  that  Mr.  Jonathan  Bolton,  M. 
D.,  the  surgeon  of  the  ship,  and  Mr.  Elnathan 
Bangs,  the  supercargo,  were  neither  of  them  on 
deck.  Perhaps  they  were  engaged  with  their 
breakfasts,  or  their  toilets,  or  their  devotions,  or 
their  studies,  or — in  short  they  were  below. 

Just  forward  of  the   mainmast  were   what  a 


812  M  OR  TOW. 

painter  would  call  the  deeper  shades  of  the  picture, 
for  there  the  black  cook  and  his  equally  sable 'ad- 
junct, the  cook's  mate,  held  their  vaporous  and 
dish-washing  levee ;  while  forth  from  the  cloudy 
sanctuary  occasionally  pealed  a  burst  of  obstre- 
perous laughter,  that  the  most  unpractised  hearer 
might  swear  came  from  the  lungs  of  a  negro,  with- 
out the  trouble  of  invading  their  premises  for  fur- 
ther evidence.  Upon  either  of  these  culinary 
worthies,  to  use  the  somewhat  hyperbolical  lan- 
guage of  sailors,  "lampblack  would  make  a  white 
mark." 

I  cannot  avoid  taking  occasion  to  remark  here, 
that  sailors,  like  the  orientals,  are  exceedingly 
addicted  to  the  use  of  tropes  and  figures  of  speech, 
to  similes  and  metaphors.  In  fact,  if  any  gentle- 
man was  about  compiling  a  treatise  on  elocution, 
I  would  recommend  to  him  to  pass  a  year  or  two  on 
board  one  of  our  men  of  war,  where  he  would 
daily  hear  specimens  of  eloquence,  known  and 
unknown  to  exclusively  terrestrial  orators,  whether 
in  the  halls  of  Congress,  at  a  public  dinner-table, 
or  on  a  stump.  There  is  the  narratio,  or  anec- 
dote, or  sometimes  the  long-  yarn  ;  the  aprosiope- 
sis,  or  sudden  pause,  very  powerful  when  in  good 
hands ;  the  apostrophe,  or  addressing  an  absent 
person  as  though  he  was  present ;  the  obtcstatio 
and  invocatio^  two  different  modes  of  invoking  the 
gods  celestial  or  infernal  ;  and  lastly,  the  simile, 
or  comparison,  in  which  sailors  are  a  thousand 
times  more  fruitful  than  Homer  himself. 


MORTON.  213 

The  steward — who  came  up  with  the  breakfast- 
dishes,  &c.,,  or  "  dog-basket,"  as  it  is  called  by  them 
of  the  forecastle — was  a  thought  lighter  skinned 
than  the  cooks. 

The  crew  were  lounging  about  the  .forecastle 
and  weather  gangway ;  some  walking  fore  and  aft, 
with  their  hands  in  their  jacket  pockets,  some 
washing  or  mending  their  clothes,  and  some 
stretched  out  in  the  sun,  chatting  and  laughing 
in  utter  disregard  and  carelessness  of  what  to-mor- 
row might  bring  forth,  and  most  literally  obeying 
the  divine  command,  to  "take  no  thought  of  what 
they  should  eat,  or  what  they  should  drink,  or 
wherewithal  they  should  be  clothed." 

The  crew  mustered  forty-four  in  number ;  for 
forty  years  since,  ships  that  traded  to  the  coast  of 
California,  or  any  part  of  His  Catholic  Majesty's 
American  possessions,  or  to  the  North  West  Coast, 
calculated  upon  a  brush,  either  with  the  guarda- 
costas  or  the  savages,  before  their  voyage  was  up, 
and  accordingly  went  well  manned  and  armed. 

A  group  of  ten  or  a  dozen  were  collected  around 
the  fore-hatch,  where  one  of  their  number  sat 
reading  to  them  the  twenty-seventh  and  twenty- 
eighth  chapters  of  Acts — two  favorite,  chapters 
with  seamen  generally,  not  that  they  contain  any 
peculiarly  glad  tidings  of  great  joy,  but  because 
they  give  a  sort  of  log-book  account  of  almost  the 
only  nautical  transactions  of  moment  recorded  in 
holy  writ. 

The  reader,  like  all  who  are  so  unfortunate  as 

18* 


214  MORTON. 

to  be  persuaded  to  read  to  a  company,  was  per- 
petually interrupted  by  some  one  of  his  auditors 
to  ask  a  question,  or  make  a  comment.  He  had, 
however,  this  advantage  over  the  iJl:starred  wight 
who  essays  to  read  to  a  party  of  ladies,  that  he 
stopped  and  asked  as  many  questions,  and  made 
as  many  remarks  and  comments,  as  any  of  his 
auditors. 

The  reader,  after  a  few  verses,  describing  St. 
Paul's  voyage,  came  to  the  eighth  Verse  of  the 
twenty-seventh  chapter :  "  And  hardly*  passing  it, 
came  unto  a  place  which  is  called  the  Fair  Ha- 
vens," &c. ;  when  old  Tom  Jones,  the  boatswain, 
an  old  English  man-of-war's  man,  who  was  lying 
on  his  breast  across  the  weather  end  of  the  wind- 
lass, interrupted : 

"  Now,  as  to  all  them  places  you've  been  read- 
ing about,  I  never  heard  of  none  on  'em  before, 
except  Cyprus,  and  I've  been  cruising  off  there  in 
a  frigate  ;  but  your  Sea  lashes  and  Pump  fill  ye 
(Cilicia  and  Pamphylia),  I  never  heard  on  in  all 
my  born  days ;  and  as  for  Fairhaven,  why  every 
body  knows  that's  right  acrost  the  river  from  New 
Bedford  ;  though  how  the  d — 1  they  got  there  so 
soon  I  don't  see,  unless  so  be  Paul  worked  a  mar- 
ricle,  and  it's  like  enough  he  did,  to  let  the  rest  on 
'ein  know  what  kind  of  a  chap  they'd  got  for  a 
shipmate." 

"Nevertheless,"  continued  the  reader,  at  the 
eleventh  verse,  "  the  centurion  believed  the  master 


MORTON.  215 

and  owner  of  the  ship  more  than  those  things 
that  were  spoken  by  Paul." 

"  Well,  now  I  don't  see  no  great  harm  in  that," 
said  one  of  the  audience  ;  "  Paul  was  nothing  but 
a  kind  of  Methodist  parson,  goin'  about  and 
preachin'  for  his  vittles  and  drink,  and  whatever 
folks  was  a  mind  to  give  him  ;  so  'taint  likely  he 
knowed  any  more  about  a  ship  than  any  other 
minister." 

"  Yes,  biit  you  know  he  was  a  saint,"  said  the 
reader,  "  and  could  foretell  the  weather,  aye,  a  year 
aforehand." 

"Could  he,  faith?"  said  another,  "then  I  won- 
der he  did  not  make  his  eternal  fortin  making 
almanacs." 

"But  what  is  a  centurion?"  asked  a  third. 
'  '  "  Centurion  ?"   said  old   Jones,   "  why  she's  a 
sixty-four  gun  ship;  I've  seen  her  often -enough 
at  Spithead,  but  I  forget  now  whether  she  was  in 
the  first  of  June*  or  not." 

"Then  I  'spose  she  was  convoying  the  craft 
that  Paul  was  in,"  observed  another  blue-jacket. 

This  knotty  point  being  satisfactorily  cleared 
up,  the  reader  proceeded:  "And  when  the  south 
wind  blew  softly,  supposing  they  had  obained 
their  purpose,  loosing  thence,  they  sailed  close  by 
Crete." 

"Now  you  see,"  said  the  boatswain,  "just  so 


*  June  1st,  1794,  Lord  Howe's  victory  over  the  French  fleet,  off 
Uehant. 


216  MORTON. 

sure  as  you  have  gentle  breezes  from  the  south'ard, 
you'll  have  a  thundering  Levanter  at  the  back  of 
'em." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  a  tar,  "  I  know  that  to  my  sor- 
row. I  was  up  the  Straits  last  v'y'ge,  'way  up  to 
Smyrna  and  Zante,  arter  reasons,*  and  we  ketch'd 
one  of  these  thundering  Levanters,  and  was  druv 
'way  to  h-11,  away  up  the  Gulf  of  Venus  (Venice) ; 
yes,  I've  been  boxing  about  the  Arch  of  the  Billy 
Goatt  'most  too  long,  not  to  know  a  little  so'thin' 
about  the  weather  there." 

The  reader  continued:  "But  not  long  after, 
there  arose  against  it  a  tempestuous  wind." 

"  There,"  said  Jones,  "  didn't  I  tell  you  so  ?  I 
knowed  you'd  have  a  real  sneezer  in  a  varse  or 
two." 

"  Called  Euroclydon,"  continued  the  reader, 
finishing  the  verse. 

"  What !  avast  there !  overhaul  that  last  word 
again." 

"  A  tempestuous  wind  called  Euroclydon,"  re- 
peated the  reader.  »-  * 

"  Well,  you  may  call  it  a  Rock-me-down,  but  / 
say  the  regular-built  name  on't  is  Levanter ;  but 
then  I  s'pose  them  thunderin'  printers  puts  in  any 
thing  they're  a  mind  to." 

The  reading  proceeded  without  much  more  in- 


+  Quasi  raisins. — Printer'*  Dent. 

t  The  sailor  probably  meant  the  Ionian  Archipelago ;  they  ge- 
nerally mistake  the  word  as  it  stands  in  the  text.— P.  D. 


MORTON.  217 

terruption,  except  that  the  honest  tars,  who  had 
been  up  the  Mediterranean,  were  not  a  little  puz- 
zled by  the  strange  names  of  places,  and  could  not 
imagine  what  part  of  the  world  the  saint  had  got 
into. 

"  About  midnight  the  shipmen  deemed  that  they 
drew  near  to  some  country ;  and  sounded,  and 
found  it  twenty  fathoms  ;  and  when  they  had  gone 
a  little  further,  they  sounded  again,  and  found  it 
fifteen  fathoms." 

"  Egad,  I  should  think  they  was  drawin'  nigh 
to  some  country  pretty  thunderin'  fast  too,  when 
they  shoalened  their  water  so  quick,  from  twenty 
to  fifteen  faddom." 

"  Then  fearing  lest  they  should  have  fallen  upon 
rocks,  they  cast  four  anchors  out  of  the  stern,  and 
wished  for  day." 

"  Four  anchors  out  of  the  starn  !"  shouted  the 
boatswain,  "  what  the  h —  was  that  for  ?" 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  the  reader,  "  they  used  to 
bring  up  by  the  head  or  starn  in  them  days — it 
didn't  make  a  ropeyarn's  odds  which — they  didn't 
know  no  better." 

"  But  four  anchors  out  of  the  starn,"  continued 
the  man-of-war's  man,  "  why,  d —  it,  the  very  first 
sea  would  onhung  the  rudder,  if  she  was  pitching 
into  it,  and  knock  the  whole  thunderin'  starn- 
frame  into  smithareens  in  a  quarter  less  no  time." 

"  Now  you  see,"  said  one  of  the  audience,  "  I've 
a  notion  that  the  craft  in  them  days  was  built  with 
goose  starns,  like  a  Dutch  galliot." 


218  MORTON. 

"  May  be,"  said  another,  "  she  had  all  her  an- 
chors stowed  aft,  to  bring  her  down  by  the  starn." 

"  But  four  anchors  out  of  the  starn  !"  murmured 
the  still  perplexed  Tom  Pipes,  "I  wonder  what 
old  Lord  Howe,  or  Admiral  Duncan,  would  have 
said,  if  they'd  heard  a  first  leftenant  give  out  such 
orders  in  a  gale  of  wind." 

"Why,  there  couldn't  have  been  no  sailors 
aboard  the  hooker,  or  they  would  have  let  go  one 
anchor  first,  and  if  that  didn't  bring  her  up,  then 
another,  and  so  on ;  but  letting  all  four  anchors 
go  at  once  right  under  foot,  is  what  I  call  a  d — d 
lubberly  piece  of  business,  let  who  will  do  it, 
whether  St.  Paul  or  St.  Devil,  and  I  don't  believe 
they  could  get  insurance  on  the  craft  in  any  in- 
surance office  in  the  United  States." 

"  Yes  they  could,  and  I'll  tell  you  why ;  if  a 
ship  goes  ashore  with  an  anchor  on  her  bows,  the 
owners  can't  recover  no  insurance ;  but  if  the 
skipper  will  swear  that  all  his  anchors  were  down, 
and  good  cables  clinched  to  'em,  he  can  get  his 
insurance," 

"  Yes,  but  there's  a  thunderin'  sight  of  odds  be- 
twixt letting  go  your  anchors  in  a  ship-shape,  sea- 
man-like manner,  and  bundling  'em  all  overboard 
at  once  in  such  a  lubberly  way  as  that  you  was 
readin'  about." 

The  reading  proceeded,  leaving  the  law  ques- 
tion respecting  insurance  "open  for  discussion" 
at  some  more  appropriate  season.  Much  indigna- 
tion was  expressed  by  the  round-jacketed  audience 


MORTON.  619 

at  the  thirty-second  verse  :  "  Then  the  soldiers  cut 
off  the  ropes  of  the  boat,  and  let  her  fall  off."  A 
vast  deal  of  satire  was  expended  upon  "  the  thun- 
derin'  troops,"  of  all  classes,  periods,  and  nations, 
the  whole  clinched  and  concluded  by  a  remark 
from  the  boatswain : 

"Aye,  sojers,  and  pigs,  and  women,  is  always  in 
the  way,  or  else  always  in  mischief,  aboard  a  ship, 
more  'specially  in  bad  weather." 

The  reading  afterwards  progressed  without 
much  interruption,  except  'at  the  fortieth  verse : 
"They — hoised  up  the  mainsail  to  the  wind,  and 
made  toward  shore,"  and  then  only  to  remark, 
"  Aye,  she  was  a  schooner,  or  else  a  morfredite 
brig,  and  they  was  goin'  to  beach  her;  she'd 
steered  better  if  they'd  sot  the  foresail  too." 

The  eleventh  verse  of  the  twenty-eighth  chap- 
ter gave  occasion  for  question  and  explanation. 

"And  after  three  months  we  departed  in  a  ship 
of  Alexandria,  which  had  wintered  in  the  isle, 
whose  sign  was  Castor  and  Pollux." 

"  Sign  !"  said  Tom  Pipes,  "  what  does  that 
mean  "I" 

"  Why,  her  figure-head,  I  s'pose,"  said  the  ques- 
tionee. 

"  Yes,  but,  d — n  my  buttons,  there's  two  on 
'em." 

"  Well,  I  s'pose  they  fixed  'em  as  the  Dutchmen 
does  De  Ruyter  and  Von  Tromp,  put  one  on  the 
knight-heads  and  t'other  on  the  rudder-head." 
"  Ay,  that  indeed." 


220  MORTON. 

The  reader  went  on  to  the  fifteenth  verse : 

"  And  from  thence,  when  the  brethren  heard  of 
us,  they  came  to  meet  ns  as  far  as  Appii-forum, 
and  The  Three  Taverns  ;  whom  when  Paul  saw, 
he  thanked  God,  and  took  courage." 

"  Took  courage  ?"  said  old  Tom  ;  "  I  don't 
know  who  the  d — 1  wouldn't  take  courage  with 
three  taverns  all  in  sight  at  once.  I  wouldn't  wish 
a  better  landfall  if  I'd  been  cast  away." 

"  That  there  Happy  afore  'em  must  have  been 
a  jovious  kind  of  a  place,"  observed  a  seaman, 
"  to  judge  by  the  name  on't ;  and  then  them  three 
taverns  so  handy — a  fellow  might  shake  a  foot, 
and  have  a  comfortable  glass  of  somethin'  when- 
ever he  took  a  notion." 

All  further  reading  arid  commentary  was  sud- 
denly put  a  stop  to,  by  one  of  those  occurrences 
that  frequently  take  place  at  sea,  and  cause  so 
much  bustle  and'  hurry  as  is  very  apt  to  frighten 
passengers.  The  good  ship  Albatross  was  neither 
thrown  on  her  beam-ends  by  a  sudden  squall,  for 
squalls  are  not  fashionable  in  the  trade-winds,  nor 
did  she  strike  upon  a  rock,  for  there  was  none 
sufficiently  near  the  surface  ;  but  still,  for  a  few 
minutes  every  thing  seemed  to  be  uppermost,  and 
nothing  at  hand,  like  the  contents  of  a  lady's  tra- 
velling trunk. 

One  of  the  crew,  who  had  been  for  some  time 
lying  on  his  breast  on  the  weather  cat-head, 
crooning  over  some  interminable  "  love-song  about 
murder,"  suddenly  surceased  his  singing,  raised 


MORTON.  221 

himself  up,  and  cast  an  eager  and  hurried  glance 
ahead  of  the  ship,  shouted  "  Fish  ho  !"  at  the  very 
top  of  his  lungs,  sprang  from  the  cat-head,  and 
ran  down  the  forescuttle.  In  an  instant  all  was 
commotion  and  hurry.  Captain  Williams  threw 
down  his  bible  with  most  anti-christian  and  un- 
orthodox carelessness,  and  hurried  to  the  forecas- 
tle, shouting,  "  A  bottle  of  rum  for  the  first  fish  ;" 
the  premium  always  offered  formerly,  though  I 
believe  it  is  getting  out  of  date  now,  and  not  only 
the  first  fish,  but  all  the  fish  caught,  are  seized 
and  confiscated  "  for  the  benefit  of  those  whom  it 
may  hereafter  concern,"  namely,  the  "  cabin  gen- 
tly;" the  claims  of  the  captors  being  waived,  set 
aside,  and  overruled.  The  two  mates  soon  fol- 
lowed their  commander,  "  armed  and  equipped," 
the  one  with  the  graves,  (a  sort  of  harpoon  for 
taking  smaller  fish,)  and  the  other  with  a  large 
reel  of  fish-line  and  hooks,  baited  with  salt  pork — 
the  commentators  on  the  two  last  chapters  of  Acts 
broke  up  their  conference,  leaving  St.  Paul  and 
the  centurion  in  comfortable  quarters  at  The 
Three  Taverns  ;  their  reader  carefully  stowing 
away  his  bible  in  the  bows  of  the  long-boat  before 
he  joined  "the  groups  of  fishermen  on  and  about 
the  bows — the  great  dog  Pomp,  so  named  after 
the  illustrious  Roman,  Pompey  the  Great,  and  not 
after  the  allegorical  personage  to  whom  Will 
Shakspeare  so  earnestly  recommends  physic, 
came  galloping  forward  and  ascended  the  heel  of 
the  bowsprit,  where  he  stood  whining,  and  yelp- 

19 


8«2  MORTON. 

ing,  and  wagging  his  tail,  exceedingly  delighted 
with  the  animation  and  excitement  of  the  scene  ; 
and  looking  up,  from  lime  to  time,  in  the  faces  of 
those  nearest  him,  with  an  expression  that  said,  as 
plain  as  mere  expression  can  speak,  "  Why  the 
plague  don't  you  catch  some  of  them?"  Even 
those  two  privileged  idlers,  the  doctor  and  super- 
cargo, made  shift  to  get  on  deck,  yawning  and 
stretching  themselves. 

In  the  mean  time,  one  of  the  most-  active  sea- 
men, who  was  perched  upon  the  jib-boom  end, 
fishing  with  a  bait  made  of  a  piece  of  white  duck 
cut  into  a  "  swallow-tail,"  haukd  up  a  huge  al- 
bicore,  whose  struggles  had  well  nigh  thrown  him 
overboard  ;  but  a  dozen  pair  of  eager  hands  were 
ready,  the  fish  was  safely  deposited  in  a  bag,  and 
passed  on  board,  and  the  bottle  of  rum  was  secured 
to  the  legal  claimant.  The  sprit-sail  yard,  bow- 
sprit, and  cat-heads  were  crowded  with  fishermen, 
and  in  half  an  hour  there  were  nearly  seventy 
fine,  large  fish  flouncing  and  fluttering  their  last 
on  the  forecastle  of  the  Albatross. 

The  cooks  at  the  galley,  who  had  quietly  pre- 
pared the  usual  Sunday  dinner,  which,  forty  years 
since,  was  generally  the  same  for  cabin  or  fore- 
castle, namely,  flour  pudding,  called  at  sea, 
"duff,"  and  salt  beef;  the  cooks  did  by  no  means 
contemplate  this  addition  to  the  ship's  bill  of  fare 
with  complacency  or  delight.  They  foresaw  that 
there  would  be  fried  fish,  and  broiled  fish,  and 
boiled  fish,  and  fish  stews,  and  fish  chowders,  and 


MORTON.  J2S 

fish  sea-pies ;  in  short,  there  would  be  no  end  to 
the  cooking  of  fish,  till  the  fish  were  all  eat  up. 
They  were  not  long  kept  in  suspense  on  that  sub- 
ject. Mr.  Walker,  the  second  officer,  approached 
their  smoky  temple — 

"  Doctor,  is  the  beef  for  the  people  in  the  cop- 
pers ?" 

"  Yes,  sar,  I  put  'em  in  at  three  bell." 

"  Well,  take  and  out  with  it,  and  get  your  cop- 
pers ready  to  make  a  chowder  for  all  hands  ;  and 
you,  Peler,  come  down  in  the  steerage  with  me, 
and  I'll  give  you  some  pepper  and  onions,  and  the 
rest  of  the  combustibles." 

"  Yes,  Massa  Walker,  I  come  ereckly.  Dam 
fish  !  I  wish  all  fish  in  'a  world  dead ;  den  'spose 
'a  want  fish,  let  'em  eat  cod-fish  and  tatoe." 

With  this  pious  ejaculation,  which  he  took  care 
not  to  give  utterance  to  till  Mr.  Walker  was  out 
of  hearing,  he  followed  that  officer  down  the  after 
hatchway,  while  his  helpmate,  grasping  his  tor- 
mentors, proceeded  to  transfer  the  half-boiled 
"salt  junk"  from  the  coppers  to  a  tub,  and  make 
preparations  for  a  dinner  of  a  more  savory  and 
agreeable  description, 


CHAPTER    XII 


All  hands  !  bring  ship  to  anchor,  ahoy ! 

BOATSWAIK'S  MATB. 


IN  the  meantime  Isabella  had  suffered  her  full 
share  of  persecution.  Shortly  after  the  family  had 
retired  from  the  coast  to  the  vicinity  of  the  city 
of  Tepic,  where  Don  Gaspar  had  an  estate,  he 
had  urged  her  to  accept  Don  Gregorio  before  their 
return  to  St.  Bias.  The  tears  and  entreaties  of 
the  unhappy  girl  had,  however,  so  far  mollified 
him  that  he  consented  to  put  it  off  some  time 
longer.  A  severe  fit  of  the  gout,  during  which 
Isabella  attended  him  with  the  most  assiduous 
and  unremitting  affection,  had  also  operated  as  a 
powerful  auxiliary  to  her  wishes.  Pressing  her 
affectionately  to  his  bosom  one  day,  the  old  go- 
vernor declared  his  unwillingness  to  part  with 
her  ;  and,  "  upon  this  hint  she  spake,"  and  easily 
obtained  from  him  a  promise  not  to  trouble  her 
with  any  matrimonial  schemes  till  she  had  com- 
pleted her  twenty-second  year,  and  even  then,  if 
she  felt  disinclined  to  the  holy  state,  she  should 


MORTON.  225 

be  at  liberty  to  retire  to  a  convent.  As  she  was 
not  yet  twenty-one,  she  regarded  this  reprieve  as 
equivalent  to  a  full  release,  and  awaited  anxiously 
the  return  of  the  dry  season.  It  came  at  last,  and 
the  family  returned  to  St.  Bias. 

Several  American  ships,  whalemen  and  others, 
visited  the  port  for  supplies,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  a  little  private  speculation,  with  which  the 
custom-house  was  not  troubled.  Dame  Juanita's 
shop,  being  rather  the  largest  in  St.  Bias,  and 
possessing,  moreover,  the  additional  attraction  of 
her  own  buxom  countenance,  and  that  of  a  pretty 
daughter  behind  the  counter,  was  visited  daily  by 
the  mates  and  crews  of  these  ships  ;  and  of  them 
she  inquired,  by  direction  of  Isabella,  concerning 
the  officers  of  the  Orion,  without  success  for  a 
long  time,  till  at  last  the  mate  of  a  trader  declared 
that  he  knew  Mr.  Morton  very  well ;  that  when 
he  saw  him  last  he  was  engaged  fitting  out  a  ship 
bound  round  Cape  Horn  ;  and  that  she  was,  in  all 
probability,  on  the  coast  at  that  moment,  and 
would  most  probably  soon  visit  San  Bias. 

This  intelligence  operated  like  a  cordial  upon 
Isabella's  spirits ;  her  eyes  were  constantly  di- 
rected towards  the  western  horizon  ;  every  sail 
that  appeared,  caused  the  utmost  trepidation  and 
eager  hope  ;  and  when  the  distant  sail  proved  to 
be  some  coasting  vessel,  or  the  guarda-costa,  that 
was  prowling  about  continually,  her  disappoint- 
ment was  keen  and  painful.  Her  cousins  laughed 
at  the  perseverance  with  which  she  watched  the 

19* 


126  MORTON. 

harbor;  and,  fearful  of  exciting  suspicions,  she 
afterwards  only  looked  out  upon  the  blue  expanse 
of  ocean  when  alone. 

At  last,  one  lovely  morning,  just  after  the  sea- 
breeze  had  commenced  blowing,  a  white  speck 
was  seen  in  the  horizon,  that  rapidly  increased  in 
size,  till  in  two  hours  it  was  plain  to  all  eyes  that 
it  was  a  large  ship,  and  many  thought  a  man  of 
war.  Various  were  the  speculations  as  to  her 
object,  and  still  more  so  as  to  her  nation  ;  for 
coming  directly  before  the  wind,  her  colors  could 
not  be  seen. 

As  she  approached  the  anchorage,  her  light 
sails  were  taken  in  and  furled,  with  a  despatch 
very  unlike  the  manoeuvres  of  a  merchantman, 
and  which  confirmed  the  opinion  of  her  being  a 
man-of-war.  Presently  a  flash  of  red  flame  and 
cloud  of  thick,  white  smoke  issued  from  her  star- 
board bow,  followed  by  a  corresponding  one  from 
the  other  side,  and  repeated  alternately,  to  the 
number  of  twenty-one ;  but  the  fourth  flash  was 
distinctly  visible  to  those  on  shore,  before  the  roar 
of  the  first  gun  came  booming  over  the  water, 
awakening  the  thousand  echoes  that  slumbered  in 
the  hills  and  woods  about  the  city. 

The  ship,  having  now  reached  her  intended 
berth,  slowly  emerged  from  her  "sulphurous  ca- 
nopy," that  the  light  breeze  had  kept  wrapped 
around  her,  like  a  veil ;  and,  clewing  up  her  top- 
sails, gracefully  swept  round  towards  the  west- 
ward, as  if  intending  to  go  out  to  sea  again  ;  and, 


MORTON.  227 

in  the  evolution,  a  large,  bright-colored,  new 
American  ensign  floated  upon  the  gentle  breeze 
from  her  mizen  gaff.  She  remained  stationary  for 
an  instant,  when  the  anchor  was  dropped,  and  the 
sails  furled ;  and  the  machine,  that  but  half  an 
hour  before, 

«  Walked  the  waters  like  a  thing  of  life," 

now  lay  upon  their  bosom  a  dark,  motionless,  in- 
animate mass, 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

As  an  owl  that  in  a  barn 

Sees  a  mouse  creeping  in  the  corn, 

Sits  still,  and  shuts  his  round  blue  eyes, 

As  if  he  slept,  until  he  spies 

The  little  beast  within  his  reach; 

Then  starts  and  seizes  on  the  wretch. 

HUDIBRAS. 

THE  salute  of  the  Albatross  was  duly  returned 
from  the  battery,  and  the  entire  posse  of  idlers  in 
the  port,  or  little  village  at  the  landing-place,  which 
is  rather  more  than  two  miles  from  the  town  of 
St.  Bias,  were  collected  at  the  pier  to  see  what 
manner  of  men  her  whale-boat  contained,  as  she 
pulled  swiftly  in  towards  the  shore.  About  half 
way  between  the  ship  and  the  shore  the  whale  boat 
was  met  by  that  of  the  harbor-master ;  the  crew  of 
the  former  tossed  their  oars  out  of  the  water,  and 
held  them  upright  in  token  of  respect,  while,  at 
the  same  time,  the  officer  in  the  stern-sheets  arose 
and  raised  his  hat.  This  respectful  behavior  was 
by  no  means  lost  upon  the  military  dignitary,  who 
listened  with  great  affability  to  the  stranger's  ac- 
count of  himself— namely,  that  he  was  first  officer 
of  the  ship  Albatross,  of  Boston,  commanded  by 
Captain  Israel  Williams ;  that  she  had  put  in  for 
supplies  of  wood,  water,  and  fresh  provisions  ;  that 


MORTON.  229 

she  was  bound  to  Canton,  and  sundry  other  par- 
ticulars of  minor  consequence  ;  Mr.  Morton  not 
deeming  himself  bound  in  honor  or  honesty  to 
inform  said  harbor-master  that  it  was  the  intention 
of  the  captain  and  officers  to  smuggle  certain  cases 
of  silks,  cloths,  and  linen  on  shore  without  his,  the 
said  harbor-master's,  privity  or  consent. 

As  soon  as  the  strange  ship  had  anchored,  Don 
Gaspar  mounted  his  horse  and  galloped  through 
the  plaza  towards  the  landing-place,  at  the  immi- 
nent risk  of  his  own  neck,  and  compromising  the 
sublunary  welfare  of  a  swarm  of  children  that 
were  basking  in  the  hot  sand  in  utter  defiance  of 
parental  authority  and  of  all  passengers,  bipedal  or 
quadrupedal.  Not  long  after  he  had  gone,  Isabella 
threw  her  veil  over  her  head,  and  tripped,  with  a 
palpitating  heart,  towards  Dame  Juanita's  house, 
which  she  entered  by  a  back  passage  well  known 
to  herself,  and  sat  down  in  the  little  room  behind 
the  shop.  '  In  a  moment  the  good  dame  made 
her  appearance,  her  face  literally  shining  with 
pleasure. 

"  I  have  seen  him,  senorita !  I  have  seen  him 
and  spoken  with  him." 

"  Seen  him  !  seen  whom  ?"  gasped  Isabella,  but 
blushing  rosy  red  at  the  same  time. 

"  Ah,  senorita,  you  know  whom,"  said  Juanita, 
"  that  handsome  American  that  you  used  to  meet 
here  a  year  ago  nearly/' 

As  the  young  lady  sat  with  her  back  towards 
the  shop-door,  and  was  besides  eagerly  drinking 


230  MORTON. 

in  all  Juanita's  news,  she  did  not  perceive  that  a 
man  had  entered  the  room.  A  gentle  voice  that 
thrilled  to  her  heart  pronounced  her  name ;  she 
turned,  uttered  a  shriek,  and  fell  fainting  into  the 
arms  of  Morton. 

Excessive  joy  did,  in  ancient  times  and  in  one 
or  two  instances,  prove  fatal ;  but  I  suspect  that 
the  world  has  grown  more  wicked,  or  the  human 
heart  less  susceptible,  for  I  doubt  whether  there  is 
any  body  now  alive  who  has  ever  experienced  a 
sufficient  degree  of  pleasure  at  once  to  do  more 
than  agitate  the  nerves  for  a  few  minutes. 

Isabella  soon  recovered  her  senses,  partly  from 
the  effects  of  cold  water  sprinkled  upon  her  face 
by  the  tender-hearted  Juanita,  and  perhaps  there 
might  be  something  reviving  in  a  soft  kiss  that  the 
young  seaman  could  not  avoid  dropping  upon  her 
lips  as  he  supported  her  in  his  arms.  I  have 
already  intimated  my  incompetency  to  describe  a 
parting  scene  between  two  lovers,  for  reasons  then 
specified  :  a  tender  meeting  is  liable  to  the  same 
objections.  Such  things  should  always  be  left  to 
the  reader's  imagination  ;  for  it  is  ten  chances  to 
one  if  the  author's  description  pleases  any  body, 
not  even  himself. 

After  the  first  emotions  of  meeting  had  subsided, 
Isabella  informed  her  lover  of  her  uncle's  promise, 
and  that  she  was  free  from  all  persecution  with 
regard  to  Don  Gregorio.  Morton,  on  the  other 
hand,  communicated  to  her  all  that  had  passed 
between  his  father  and  himself.  "  So  that  you  see, 


MORTON.  231 

dearest  Isabella,  if  you  had  consented  to  go  home 
with  me  as  I  urged,  we  might  at  this  moment  be 
comfortably  seated  at  my  father's  fire-side.  In  the 
mean  time,  Captain  Williams  knows  how  I  am 
situated,  and  will  give  the  most  effective  assistance 
to  my  plans.  We  shall  probably  be  detained  here 
for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  I  shall  have  daily 
opportunities  of  seeing  you." 

Time  flies  with  lovers,  and  they  had  been  nearly 
an  hour  in  conversation,  when  Juanita  put  them 
in  mind  of  its  lapse,  and  urged  the  danger  of  Isa- 
bella's staying  away  from  her  uncle's  house  any 
longer.  They  separated  with  a  thousand  promises 
to  meet  again. 

In  a  day  or  two,  Captain  Williams  had  made 
arrangements  for  disposing  of  the  remnant  of  his 
cargo,  in  a  quiet  way,  to  certain  merchants  who 
are  always  and  every  where  to  be  found,  ready 
and  willing  to  evade  the  exactions  of  the  custom- 
house. 

One  branch  of  the  river  empties  into  the  north- 
eastern, part  of  the  bay,  from  which  the  slope  up 
to  the  plaza  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  is  gradual. 
The  point  formed  by  this  branch  and  the  bay  is 
covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  limes  and  other 
trees,  through  which  winds  a  scrambling  sort  of 
path,  passable  by  mules,  and  but  very  seldom  used. 
After  winding  through  the  trees  and  bushes,  and 
up  a  steep  hill,  that  farther  to  the  left,  or  westward, 
becomes  an  abrupt  precipice  of  two  hundred  feet 


232  MORTON. 

in  height ;  it  emerges  in  an  obscure  and  narrow 
street  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  town. 

The  Albatross's  launch  was  sent  every  night, 
under  the  command  of  one  or  other  of  the  mates, 
with  a  cargo  of  goods,  which  were  landed  near 
the  termination  of  the  above-mentioned  winding 
path,  and  loaded  upon  mules  that  were  always 
ready,  concealed  among  the  bushes,  to  be  brought 
out  at  an  appointed  signal  from  the  boat.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  select  a  place  better  adapted  for  the 
peculiar  purpose  ;  unguarded  and  unsuspected, 
nobody  had  ever  dreamed  of  any  smuggling  at- 
tempt being  made  there. 

This  plan  of  landing  cargo  had  been  carried  on 
with  equal  secrecy  and  success  for  many  nights, 
till  nearly  all  was  discharged.  In  the  mean  time, 
information  had  been  conveyed  to  the  command- 
ant, by  some  person  who  had  accidentally  seen  the 
boat  one  night  engaged  in  discharging  her  precious 
freight,  and  the  mules  loading  on  the  beach.  _  In 
consequence  of  this  intelligence,  orders  had  been 
issued  to  the  officer  commanding  the  troops  at  San 
Bias,  to  march  a  strong  party  to  the  place,  and  se- 
cure all  merchandize  and  persons  found  there. 
Part  of  this  behest  was  executed  to  the  letter ;  the 
remainder  Jupiter  dispersed  into  thin  air. 

Mr.  Morton,  with  six  hands  in  the  jolly-boat, 
came  on  shore  at  the  usual  time,  bringing  all  the 
remainder  of  the  cargo,  which  was  hardly  enough 
to  load  two  mules.  Every  thing  was  landed  and 
loaded  upon  the  mules  without  interruption, except- 


MORTON.  233 

ing  a  small  package  containing  silk  handkerchiefs, 
when  suddenly  a  low  whistle  was  heard  in  the 
bushes. 

"What  is  that?"  said  Morton,  who  held  the 
aforesaid  package  in  his  hands. 

"Santa  Maria !"  exclaimed  the  muleteers,  spring- 
ing upon  their  horses,  and  putting  them  and  the 
mules  into  rapid  motion ;  "  vienen  los  soldados 
malditos,"  the  d — d  soldiers  are  coming ;  the  sig- 
nal was  repeated,  and  in  an  instant  soldiers  rushed 
from  different  parts  of  the  adjacent  bushes,  and 
surrounded  the  whole  party.  So  sudden  and  com- 
plete was  the  surprise,  that  the  seamen,  though 
standing  in  the  edge  of  the  water,  were  intercepted 
and  made  prisoners.  Morton,  as  soon  as  he  per- 
ceived that  flight  and  resistance  were  equally  out 
of  the  question,  hailed  the  two  men  in  the  boat 
that  was  lying  a  few  yards  from  the  shore,  and 
ordered  them  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  the 
ship — an  'order  that  was  acknowledged  by  the 
customary  "  ay,  ay,  sir,"  and  obeyed  by  hoisting 
their  lug-sail,  which,  filled  by  a  fresh  land-breeze, 
soon  carried  them  out  of  danger.  He,  with  the 
remaining  four  men,  were  made  prisoners.  Whe- 
ther the  soldiers  were  not  used  to  acting  against 
cavalry,  or  thought  the  prisoners  of  "more  conse- 
quence than  the  merchandise,  is  doubtful ;  the 
mules  and  their  drivers  got  off  safe,  although 
several  shots  were  fired  at  them  as  soon  as  their 
retreat  was  perceived. 

Ascertaining  that  there  was  nothing  more  to  be 


234  MORTON. 

got  on  the  field  of  battle ;  for  it  was  indeed  one,  as 
one  of  the  sailors,  feeling  somewhat  restive  under 
the  tight  grasp  that  the  corporal  laid  upon  his 
collar,  had  bestowed  upon  that  humble  candidate 
for  military  honors  a  slap  in  the  face,  that  caused 
him,  in  the  Nan  tucket  dialect,  to  "  blow  blood ;" 
the  guard  took  up  their  line  of  march  through  the 
wood  with  their  five  prisoners.  On  their  melan- 
choly route  towards  the  town,  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  party,  mindful  of  the  politeness  and 
attention  with  which  he  had  been  treated  by  Mr. 
Morton,  behaved  to  his  prisoners  with  great  kind- 
ness, and  endeavored  to  console  this  officer  by 
representing  that  nothing  had  been  found  that 
would  or  could  be  deemed  sufficient  to  convict 
them  of  any  attempt  to  violate  the  laws  of  the 
province  ;  that  the  escape  of  the  mules  was  a 
favorable  circumstance,  as  they  had  carried  off 
whatever  might  have  otherwise  appeared  as  evi- 
dence against  them,  whether  merchandise  or  men ; 
which  last,  with  the  treachery  peculiar  to  Span- 
iards, and  more  universally1  inherent  in  the  mixed 
breed  of  the  colonies,  would  compound  for  their 
own  safety  by  implicating  their  employers ;  that 
the  governor  was  a  gentleman,  and  u  man  of 
kindly  feelings,  arid  that  he  would  undoubtedly 
pass  over  what  had  occurred  that  night  without 
the  exercise  of  any  greater  severity  than  perhaps 
the  imposition  of  a  moderate  fine ;  with  sundry 
other  and  similar  topics  of  consolation,  suggested 
by  kindness  and  sympathy.  But  Morton's  mind 


MORTON.  235 

was  too  confused  and  agitated  by  the  events  of  the 
evening,  to  allow  him  to  make  much  reply  or  to 
pay  much  attention  to  the  consolations  of  the 
officer ;  he  longed  to  reach  the  guard-house, 
where,  in  the  solitude  and  silence  of  the  prison,  he 
might  have  time  and  opportunity  to  arrange  his 
ideas,  and  reflect  upon  his  melancholy  and  appa- 
rently hopeless  situation,  and  correspond,  if  per- 
mitted, with  his  commander,  and  with  one  other. 

"  But  no,"  he  thought,  after  the  lovely  image  of 
Isabella  had  presented  itself  to  his  mind,  "  no,  she 
will  not  dare  to  visit  me,  or  exert  herself  in  my 
behalf — and  why  should  she  ?  it  would  but  expose 
her  to  suspicion,  and  me  and  these  poor  fellows  to 
greater  rigor." 

He  knew  but  little  of  the  strength  of  woman's 
love — her  devotedness,  her  acuteness,  and  energy } 
and  activity,  in  contriving  and  executing  plans  for 
the  relief  or  comfort  of  her  loved  one  in  affliction. 
His  four  companions  in  misfortune,  with  all  that 
philosophical  indifference  to  calamity  and  danger 
that  characterizes  seamen,  after  expending  an  in- 
credible number  of  strange  curses  and  sea  jokes 
upon  their  captors,  stretched  themselves  upon  the 
stone  floor  of  the  "caliboza,"  or  prison,  and  were 
soon  sound  asleep ;  and  Morton  himself,  fatigued 
in  body  and  harrassed  and  bewildered  in  mind, 
soon  lost  all  consciousness  of  his  unhappy  situa- 
tion in  deep  and  prolonged  slumber. 

Having  lodged  his  prisoners  in  the  guard-house 
and  given  orders  that  they  should  be  treated  with 


236  MORTON. 

all  kindness,  the  officer  waited  upon  the  governor, 
and  reported  the  proceedings  of  the  night.  His 
excellency  looked  rather  blank  at  learning  that 
none  of  the  goods  had  been  secured ;  but  having 
complimented  the  officer  upon  his  vigilance  and 
zeal,  he  retired  to  rest,  feeling  all  the  pride  and 
self-gratulation  of  a  little  mind,  after  having  done 
a  very  little  action.  He  did  indeed  feel  somewhat 
anxious  as  to  the  effect  the  intelligence  might  have 
upon  the  ladies  of  his  household,  who  had  been 
projecting  another  visit  to  the  American  ship, 
being  the  fourth  that  had  already  taken  place ; 
but  he 'finally  determined,  as  the  only  course  left 
him,  to  ensconce  himself  behind  the  intrench- 
ments  of  his  dignity,  and  to  merge  the  urbane 
feelings  of  the  hospitable  gentleman  in  the  awful 
gravity  of  the  dog  in  office.  Besides,  he  hoped 
that  his  vigilance  and  severity  on  the  present  oc- 
casion would  be  a  sweet  savor  in  the  nostrils  of 
his  august  monarch,  and  that  promotion  would 
follow  as  an  affair  of  course ;  and  he  dropped 
asleep,  fancying  himself  Lieutenant-General  Don 
Gaspar  de  Luna,  Knight  of  the  most  noble  order 
of  St.  Jago  de  Compostella,  and  Governor-Gene- 
ral of  the  island  of  Cuba  or  St.  Domingo. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

I'll  follow  him  no  more  with  bootless  prayers. 

MKRCBIXT  or  VZNIOI. 

THE  old  Don,  on  rising  the  next  morning,  found 
all  his  womankind  "overwhelmed  with  grief"  in 
consequence  of  the  news  of  the  capture  and  im- 
prisonment of  the  American  seamen,  and  prepared 
to  assail  him  with  prayers,  petitions,  and  tears,  as 
soon  as  he  made  his  appearance.  In  vain  he  tried 
to  assume  the  governor,  and  to  look  and  act  dig- 
nified ;  he  had  not,  either  in  appearance  or  man- 
ner, or  even  language,  so  "  much  of  the  Roman  " 
in  him,  as  a  certain  other  potentate  who  shall  be 
nameless  ;  the  persevering  ladies  followed  him, 
and  gave  him  no  rest ;  and  perhaps,  by  their  per- 
tinacity, drove  him  to  declare,  in  his  vexation,  that 
it  was  his  fixed  and  settled  resolve  to  inflict  upon 
his  prisoners  the  extremity  of  the  law's  indigna- 
tion. In  fact,  the  tribulation  caused  in  the  go- 
vernor's family  by  the  unhappy  events  of  the 
past  night,  had  reached  to  an  extravagant  and 
general  height;  for  even  the  wife  of  his  bosom 
remonstrated  in  no  very  gentle  terms  against  her 
lord's  severity ;  so  that  his  poor  excellency  found 
the  gubernatorial  chair  as  uncomfortable  a  seat  as 
so* 


238  MORTON. 

though  its  cushion  had  been  stuffed  with  pins. 
He  made  good  his  retreat  as  quick  as  possible  to 
his  usual  place  of  official  business,  or  bureau 
cToffice,  but  there  new  trials  awaited  him  ;  for  the 
very  first  person  he  saw  there,  and  evidently  wait- 
ing for  him,  was  Captain  Williams. 

Isabella,  in  the  mean  time,  had  not  yet  risen ; 
her  sleeping  thoughts  had  been  too  delightfully 
occupied  with  visions  of  happiness,  and  her  wak- 
ing reveries  had  so  engaged  her  with  day-dreams 
of  prospective  felicity,  that  she  was  not  conscious 
of  the  lapse  of  time.  She  had  just  commenced 
dressing,  with  the  assistance  of  a  favorite  servant, 
a  native  Mexican  girl,  when  her  weeping  cousins 
rushed  into  the  chamber  in  an  agony  of  grief. 
With  voices  choked  and  interrupted  by  sobs  and 
tears,  it  was  some  minutes  before  they  could  make 
their  poor  cousin  comprehend  the  melancholy 
truth,  with  the  gratuitous  addition  that  the  pri- 
soners were  to  be  shot  the  next  morning  in  the 
plaza,  and  directly  in  front  of  the  house.  Having 
communicated  all  they  knew,  and  all  they  had 
invented,  they  retired  to  spread  the  intelligence,  to 
collect  more,  and  to  remove  the  furniture  in  the 
front  chamber,  for  the  more  convenient;  witnessing 
the  execution  of  the  next  morning.. 

Isabella,  when  left  to  herself,  neither  screamed, 
nor  went  into  hysterics  or  tears  ;  she  sat  still  and 
motionless  in  the  chair,  into  which  she  had  sunk 
when  the  dreadful  truth  was  made  known  to  her ; 
she  became  deadly  pale,  her  temples  throbbed,  her 


MORTON.  139 

breathing  seemed  oppressed,  the  light  swam  before 
her  eyes,  she  uttered  a  convulsive  sob,  and,  to  the 
terror  of  her  faithful  and  sympathising  attendant, 
fell  senseless  upon  the  floor.  The  Indian  girl, 
with  great  presence  of  mind,  though  sorely 
frightened,  dashed  water  in  her  face,  loosened  her 
clothes,  and  practised  all  those  modes  of  relief, 
better  understood  by  ladies  than  described  by  me. 
The  unhappy  young  lady  at  length  recovered, 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  her  attendant,  threw 
herself  upon  the  bed,  and  gave  way  to  a  flood  of 
tears,  to  the  relief  caused  by  which,  and  her  sub- 
sequent repose,  we  must  for  a  time  leave  her. 

Captain  Williams  saluted  the  governor,  as  they 
met,  with  a  countenance  partaking  of  anger  as 
well  as  sorrow ;  and,  without  much  circumlocu- 
tion, proceeded  to  state  his  business,  and  inter- 
ceded most  warmly  in  behalf  of  his  men  in  con- 
finement. •  But  the  old  Don.  before  whose  mind 
visions  of  promotion  and  honors  were  floating, 
was  in  no  humor  to  grant  petitions  of  any  kind, 
much  less  one,  the  acceding  to  which  would  over- 
throw all  his  air-built  castles  ;  and  he  steadily 
refused  to  listen  to  the  warm-hearted  old  seaman's 
arguments,  urged  with  all  the  fervency  of  almost 
paternal  affection  for  both  Mr.  Morton  and  his 
seamen.  Unable  to  oppose  or  refute  the  argu- 
ments of  Captain  Williams,  proving  the  innocence 
of  the  prisoners,  or,  at  least,  the  veniality  of  their 
offence,  if  guilty,  and  the  unreasonable  dispropor- 
tion between  the  crime  and  the  punishment; — 


840  M  O  RT  O  N. 

wearied  by  the  perseverance  of  the  petitioner,  and 
convinced,  though  unwilling  to  own  it,  by  his 
arguments ; — convinced,  too,  that  he  was  making 
a  very  ridiculous  figure  in  the  eyes  of  his  officers 
and  several  merchants  who  were  present,  he  did, 
as  all  obstinate  and  pig-headed  people  do  when 
they  find  themselves  in  the  wrong,  and  see  that 
they  are  making  themselves  contemptible :  that 
is,  he  plunged  still  deeper  into  the  wrong,  by 
giving  the  good  old  seaman  a  harsh  refusal  to  his 
prayer. 

At  this  unexpected  and  ungentlemanly  rebuff, 
Captain  Williams  suddenly  became  calm  and  si- 
lent, and,  a  moment  after,  left  the  office.  Those 
who  were  present  thought  they  saw  in  the  stern, 
determined  expression  of  his  countenance  grounds 
for  apprehension  and  alarm ;  having  the  most 
extravagant  opinion  of  the  desperate  and  daring 
courage  of  the  Americans,  they  looked  to  see  the 
ensuing  night  signalized  by  some  desperate  at- 
tempt on  the  part  of  the  seaman,  to  release  his 
companions  from  imprisonment.  Their  appre- 
hensions were  confirmed  in  a  space  of  time  that 
seemed  impossible  to  Jiave  enabled  Captain  Wil- 
liams to  reach  his  ship,  by  seeing  the  Albatross, 
under  jib  and  spanker,  slowly  standing  to  the 
westward,  and  again  anchoring  full  half  a  mile 
farther  out  to  sea  than  before  ;  not,  to  be  sure,  out 
of  reach  of  the  guns  of  the  battery,  but  at  such  a 
distance  as  to  render  it  extremely  problematical 
whether  Spanish  artillerymen  would  be  able  to 


MORTON.  241 

throw  a  shot  within  half  a  mile  of  her,  especially 
in  a  star-light  night. 

This  movement  of  the  ship  alarmed  the  go- 
vernor not  a  little  ;  for  he  knew  that  the  guarda- 
costa  was  absent  on  a  cruize,  and  it  was  doubtful 
when  she  would  return,  and  that  there  were  but 
thirty  soldiers  on  duty  at  the  barracks,  the  rest 
having  recently  been  drafted  into  the  interior,  to 
wage  war  against  certain  straggling,  light-fingered 
gentry,  known  in  that  part  of  the  world  by  the 
general  title  of  "  monteneros,"  or  highlanders, 
being  analogous  in  their  habits  and  manners,  and 
confused  ideas  of  meum  and  tuum,  to  the  high- 
land cattle-stealers  of  Scotland.  In  this  dilemma, 
the  governor's  heart  began  to  relent — he  thought 
that  he  was  carrying  his  severity  too  far. 

On  retiring  to  his  house  to  dinner,  he  was  met 
by  a  message  from  his  niece,  requesting  to  see 
him  in  her  chamber,  being  too  unwell  to  meet  the 
family  at  noon.  Thither  his  Excellency  ascended 
with  reluctant  steps  and  slow,  like  a  child  called 
from  his  play  to  be  whipped  and  sent  to  bed.  He 
found  his  niece  reclining  upon  a  sofa,  pale,  lan- 
guid, and  evidently  much  agitated.  She  rose  to 
receive  him  with  her  accustomed  affect  ion,  and 
the  old  Don  seated  himself  by  her  side. 

"  Isabella,  my  love,  you  appear  to  be  distressed  ; 
what  is  the  matter,  child  ?" 

"  Dear  uncle,  my  cousin  Antonia  tells  me  dread- 
ful news," 

"  Dreadful  news  !  what  is  it,  dearest  ?" 


242  MORTON. 

"  She  tells  me,"  said  Isabella,  shuddering  and 
gasping  for  breath,  "  that  these  unfortunate 
Americans  are  to  be  put  to  death  to-morrow 
morning." 

"  Poh,  poh  !  what  nonsense  !  you  know  as  well 
as  I  do  that  the  law  gives  me  no  such  power." 

"  But,  dearest  uncle,  why  should  they  be  pu- 
nished at  all  1  nothing  is  proved  against  them, 
nothing  is  found  about  them  that  indicates  guilty 
intentions,"  for,  notwithstanding  her  indisposition, 
she  had  learned  all  the  facts  of  the  case  from  her 
gossip,  Juanita,  and  the  officers  that  had  called  in 
the  course  of  the  forenoon,  "  I  have  heard  all  the 
particulars,  and  confess  that  I  see  no  reason  why 
they  deserve  punishment  at  all." 

"  You  know  nothing  at  all  about  the  matter, 
child.  They  have  been  seen,  at  other  times  than 
last  night,  landing  boxes  and  bales  at  the  same 
place." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  that  it  was  not  some  other 
persons  ?" 

The  governor  paid  no  attention  to  this  ques- 
tion, which  he  had  never  dreamt  of  asking  his 
informer. 

"  Besides,  if  these  are  pardoned,  other  offenders 
will  plead  their  innocence,  and  refer  to  the  case 
of  these  men  as  a  precedent.  No,  Isabella,  I  can- 
not, I  dare  not  do  it ;  they  must  abide  by  the 
consequences." 

"  Then  if  their  lives  are  to  be  spared,  what  is  to 
be  done  with  them  ?" 


MORTON.  243 

"  I  shall  write  to  the  Viceroy,  and  keep  them 
confined  till  I  receive  his  instructions  as  to  their 
future  destiny." 

"And  that,"  said  the  young  lady,  in  a  faint 
voice,  "  will  be  worse  than  death  !  O  think  of  it, 
dear,  dear  uncle." 

"  You  take  too  gloomy  a  view  of  the  case,"  said 
Don  Gaspar,  kissing  the  forehead  of  the  lovely 
suppliant ;  "  the  Viceroy  may  pardon  them,  but  I 
dare  not — You  plead  in  vain,"  continued  he,  as 
he  saw  she  was  about  to  speak  ;  "  were  they  my 
own  sons,  they  should  undergo  the  sentence  of 
the  law  for  their  misconduct." 

Fearing  to  excite  her  uncle's  suspicions  by  too 
great  urgency,  Isabella  changed  her  battery — 

"At  least,  let  them  be  used  kindly — let  them 
have  plenty  of  good  food  and  wine." 

"  Certainly,  dearest  little  niece,"  said  the  go- 
vernor, delighted  to  find  the  most  formidable  and 
irresistible  of  his  female  assailants  so  lukewarm  in 
the  cause  of  the  prisoners,  "  and  you  shall  be  their 
provider." 

"  Me,  uncle  ?  well,  I  own  I  should  wish  to  visit 
the  prison  occasionally,  to  see  that  they  are  com- 
fortable." 

"You  shall  whenever  you  please,"  said  the 
Don,  rising,  and  going  to  Isabella's  writing  desk  ; 
"  there,  there  is  an  order,  signed  by  my  own  hand, 
that  will  admit  you  whenever  you  please."  So 
saying,  he  retired. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


I  know  that  a  woman  is  a  dish  for  the  gods,  if  the  devil  dress  her  not. 
ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATBA- 


A  WRITER,  evidently  a  Frenchman,  in  the  British 
or  some  other  Encyclopaedia,  under  the  article 
"  Man,"  draws  a  very  ingenious  contrast  between 
the  two  sexes,  which  is  correct  enough  in  its  ge- 
neral principles,  but  exceedingly  erroneous  in 
many  very  important  points.  Speaking  of  the 
different  behavior  of  men  and  women,  under  the 
pressure  of  grief  or  calamity,  he  says,  "  Woman 
weeps — man  remains  silent — woman  is  in  agony 
when  man  weeps — she  is  in  despair  when  man  is 
in  agony." 

Mr.  Philosopher,  you  are  a  goose.  It  is  obvious 
that  you  have  drawn  your  conclusions  from  your 
observations  of  Frenchmen  exclusively,  who  are 
theatrical  and  affected  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

"  Woman  weeps  while  man  remains  silent."— 
True  ;  she  gives  vent  to  her  feelings  by  weep- 
ing, and  her  full  heart  is  tranquillized  by  her  tears, 
which  seem  not  only  to  relieve  and  refresh  the 
swollen  and  burning  eyes  of  the  body,  but  to  ren- 


MORTON.  245 

der  those  of  the  mind  more  clear  and  penetrating. 
What,  for  instance,  was  the  language  and  senti- 
ment of  Mary  Q,ueen  of  Scots,  when  Rizzio  was 
murdered  in  her  presence  1  "I  will  dry  up  my 
tears,"  said  the  high-spirited  descendant  of  the 
Stuarts,  "  and  think  of  revenge."  Man's  remain- 
ing silent  is  not  always  an  evidence  of  fortitude  or 
resignation  ;  it  may  be  stupidity  and  want  of  feel- 
ing, or  gloom  and  sulkiness  ;  a  disposition  to  find 
fault  with  Divine  Providence  for  visiting  him  with 
affliction. 

"  Woman  is  in  agony  when  man  weeps."  Ab- 
surd !  her  tears  have  relieved  her  agony.  Like 
the  elastic  and  pliable  willow,  she  has  yielded  to 
the  storm  of  grief,  and  her  buoyant  spirit  rises 
comparatively  uninjured  from  the  conflict. 

"  Woman  is  in  despair  when  man  is  in  agony." 
It  is  said  that  the  difference  between  a  fool  and  a 
madman  is,  that  the  fool  draws  wrong  conclusions 
from  correct  principles,  and  the  madman  correct 
conclusions  from  erroneous  principles.  I  leave 
my  readers  to  judge  under  which  denomination 
the  author  quoted  comes.  There  is  but  one  step 
in  his  climax  that  approaches  the  truth,  and  he 
has  drawn  a  series  of  wrong  conclusions  from 
that.  The  concurrent  testimony  of  a  host  of 
writers,  both  moralists  and  historians,  goes  to  es- 
tablish the  fact,  that,  under  the  pressure  of  reme- 
diable misfortunes,  women  have  infinitely  greater 
acuteness  and  quickness  of  perception  of  means  of 
relief— more  promptness,  energy,  and  courage  in 
21 


246  MORTON. 

carrying  them  into  execution,  than  men.  "  Hope 
the  deceiver"  retains  possession  of  the  heart  of 
woman  long,  long  after  man  has  hanged,  shot,  or 
drowned  himself  in  despair. 

Isabella  was  certainly  almost  overcome  by  the 
melancholy  intelligence,  when  first  communicated ; 
but  weeping  and  the  repose  of  the  morning  had 
tranquillized  her,  and  the  facts  that  she  had  ascer- 
tained had  given  her  fresh  courage  and  hopes. 
Not  daring,  however,  to  urge  her  uncle  too  far  at 
that  time,  as  she  saw  he  was  out  of  humor,  she 
was  still  determined  not  by  any  means  to  regard 
one,  nor  two,  nor  twenty  refusals  as  decisive  \  but, 
if  he  could  not  be  "  carried  by  boarding,"  to  block- 
ade him  into  compliance.  Her  uncle's  order  for 
her  admittance  to  the  prison,  she  determined  only 
to  use  occasionally,  and  as  circumstances  pointed 
out,  for  fear  of  exciting  suspicion  ;  but  to  reserve 
it  as  a  sort  of  sheet  anchor  for  the  perfection  of  a 
half-formed  scheme  that  was  already  agitating  her 
brain. 

Under  pretence  of  merely  ascertaining  that  the 
prisoners  were  supplied  with  all  the  comfort  that 
their  situation  would  admit,  but  in  reality  to  com- 
municate with  her  lover,  she  visited  the  prison  that 
very  day.  She  found  the  prisoner,  who  was  already 
heart-sick  of  the  confinement,  independently  of  its 
probable  termination,  walking  listlessly  up  and 
down  the  passage  leading  to  the  inner  prison, 
which  was  both  spacious  and  airy  ;  for,  as  before 
observed,  his  excellency  had  so  far  relented  as  to 


MORTON.  247 

direct  that  the  prisoners,  during  the  day,  should 
be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  air.  Sis  surprise  at  see- 
ing her  was  extreme — not  that  he  doubted  she 
would  make  an  attempt  to  see  him,  but  he  con- 
sidered it  a  hopeless  one.  She  met  him  with  tran- 
quillity, almost  cheerfulness. 

"  Thank  heaven  1"  he  exclaimed  mentally, 
"  there  is  some  hope  of  once  more  snuffing  fresh 
air ;  that  sweet  girl  would  never  be  so  composed 
unless  she  had  some  plan  in  her  mind  for  my 
delivery.  Isabella,  dearest  Isabella,  tell  me,  for 
heaven's  sake,  how  have  you  managed  to  get  into 
this  place,  that  every  one  else  is  so  anxious  to  keep 
out  of?  Has  the  old  Don  dismounted  from  his 
high  horse?  He  has  been  polite  enough  to  make 
me  a  morning  call,  but  I  am  afraid  he  does  not 
intend  to  allow  me  to  return  it.  However,  as  long 
as  he  permits  you  to  follow  his  example,  I  hope 
that  I  shall  be  enabled  to  bear  the  disappointment 
with  becoming  resignation." 

"  Hush,  hush !  how  can  you  talk  so  giddily, 
when  you  know  not  what  may  be  your  fate  ?" 

"  Why,  hanging  is  not  a  favorite  Spanish  punish- 
ment, so  I  suppose  he  will  honor  me  so  far  as  to 
expend  a  little  powder  and  shot  upon  me.ij 

"  O,  Charles  !  Charles !  be  quiet,  for  heaven's 
sake.  Tell  me,  what  did  my  uncle  say  ?" 

"  Say  ?  why,  he  scolded  a  good  deal,  said  that  I 
had  heretofore  behaved  very  decently,  and  that  he 
was  very  sorry  to  see  me  here." 

"  He  has  written  to  the  viceroy,  to  know  what 


S48  MORTON. 

he  is  to  do  with  you.  My  uncle,  with  all  his  faults, 
is  an  angel  of  mercy,  compared  with  that  cold- 
blooded, bigoted,  cruel  man.  I  have  read  some- 
where that  it  is  written  over  the  gates  of  the  infer- 
nal regions  '  Let  all  who  enter  here  leave  hope 
behind.'  Let  all  who  fall  into  the  hands  of  that 
haughty  nobleman,  whether  innocent  or  guilty, 
leave  hope  behind  too.  He  is  governed  entirely 
by  his  priests,  and  the  very  circumstance  of  your 
being  a  Protestant,  however  harmless,  and  found 
in  his  dominions,  would  be  sufficient  to  make  you 
an  object  of  hatred  and  vengeance." 

"  Well,  all  that  may  be ;  but  recollect  my  coun- 
try will  not  tamely  permit  her  sons  to  be  dragged 
to  foreign  prisons,  without  knowing  wherefore." 

"You  cannot  suppose  that  your  country  will 
plunge  into  a  war  for  your  sakes  ?" 

"  No,  no,  my  love ;  she  would  be  a  fool  if  she 
did  ;  but  there  is  a  set  of  fellows  called  ambassa- 
dors, that  often  do  more  with  their  tongues  than 
ten  thousand  good  fellows  can  with  their  bayonets. 
But  tell  me,  if  you  know,  where  is  the  ship  ?  what 
says  the  good  old  Captain  Williams  to  the  scrape  ?" 

"  The  ship  has  moved  farther  out,  and  he  has 
been  on  shore  twice  to-day  to  intercede  for  you, 
but  without  effect,  though  my  uncle  has  so  far 
relented  as  to  order  you  all  the  comforts  that  you 
wish." 

"  I  should  be  obliged  to  him,  then,  for  the  com- 
fort of  walking  out  of  prison." 

"  When  the  ship  moved  out  of  gunshot,"  conti- 


MORTON.  249 

niied  Isabella,  without  noticing  what  she  thought 
his  artificial  gaiety,  "  there  was  some  apprehen- 
sion that  Captain  Williams  intended  to  make 
some  desperate  attempt  to  release  you ;  but  he 
has  been  on  shore  since,  and  had  an  interview 
with  my  uncle,  and  the  alarm  has  subsided." 

"  Well  done  !  that  is  the  best  thing  I  have  heard 
this  long  time — a  whole  garrisoned  Spanish  town 
thrown  into  consternation  by  a  single  Yankee 
merchantman  !  upon  my  word,  I  shall  entertain 
a  more  exalted  opinion  than  ever  of  Spanish 
courage." 

Isabella  permitted  him  to  indulge  his  national 
vanity,  when  she  again  urged  that  his  situation 
was  but  little  short  of  desperate,  unless  he  was 
speedily  relieved  from  it. 

"  I  know,  I  know  that  my  head  is  in  the  lion's 
mouth,  and  how  it  is  to  be  got  out  I  know  not. 
If  I  could  see  Captain  Williams — perhaps  a  good 
round  fine  paid  to  his  high  mightiness  might  open 
these  doors." 

"  I  will  write  to  Captain  Williams  myself,"  said 
the  young  lady,  «  perhaps  something  of  that  kind 
might  be  done.  In  the  mean  time,  whenever  you 
have  any  wine  or  other  provisions,  of  which  I 
will  see  that  there  shall  be  no  lack,  make  a  point 
of  sharing  it  with  the  guard  ;  and,  by  all  means," 
she  added,  in  a  lower  tone,  "  see  that  the  sentry 
is  never  forgotten." 

"  Ha  !  oho  !   I  see  the  whole  affair — there  are 
never  but  five  men  on  duty  here  at  night." 
21* 


250  MORTON. 

"  Rash,  hot-headed  creature  !  there  will  be  no 
occasion  for  such  madness.  Even  if  you  should 
escape  from  prison,  and  reach  your  ship  in  safety, 
which  would  be  next  to  impossible " 

"  Well,  what  ?"  said  Morton,  observing  that  she 
was  silent.  She  raised  her  eyes,  swimming  in 
tears. 

"  I  understand  you — dear,  dear  Isabella,  do  you 
think  I  would  leave  this  country  without  you  ? 
No,  never." 

"  Then  remain  perfectly  quiet,  attempt  nothing, 
do  nothing  of  yourself.  In  the  mean  time,"  con- 
tinued she,  rising,  "  do  not  abandon  yourself  either 
to  hope  or  despair." 

With  these  words  she  left  the  prison. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


As  cannons  shoot  the  higher  pitches 
The  lower  we  let  down  their  breeches, 
I'll  make  this  low,  dejected  fate 
Advance  me  to  a  greater  height. 

Bran 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAMS,  immediately  upon  his  land- 
ing on  the  morning  after  the  events  related  in  the 
last  chapter  had  taken  place,  was  met  at  the  Port 
by  a  woman  of  rather  ordinary  appearance,  who 
put  a  letter  into  his  hands,  and  retired  without 
speaking.  The  letter  was  written  in  a  woman's 
hand,  but  without  signature,  and  was  as  follows  : 

"  SIR  : — A  friend  of  Mr.  Morton  is  making  every 
possible  exertion  to  deliver  him  and  his  compa- 
nions from  imprisonment.  That  friend  entreats 
that  you  would  do  nothing  rashly,  or  that  may 
give  cause  of  alarm  or  suspicion  to  the  governor 
or  garrison,  or  to  any  of  the  inhabitants.  If  you 
will  call  this  evening  at  the  shop  of  dame  Juanita 
Gomez,  in  the  plaza  of  San  Bias,  a  person  will 
meet  you  there,  and  explain  more  fully  the  friendly 
intentions  of  the  writer." 


852  MORTON. 

The  honest  seaman,  after  mature  deliberation, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  writer  of  this  ano- 
nymous epistle  could  be  no  other  than  the  fair 
Isabella,  of  whom  he  hatl  heard  Morton  speak  so 
often  ;  and  he  resolved  to  attend  to  its  directions 
most  strictly.  Accordingly,  as  a  preliminary  step, 
he  thought  best  to  reconnoitre  the  plaza  as  soon 
as  possible,  that  he  might  make  no  unpleasant 
mistakes  in  the  dusk  of  evening. 

While  at  St.  Bias,  he  had  another  interview 
with  the  governor,  and  endeavored  to  ascertain 
the  intentions  of  that  dignitary  with  regard  to  the 
destination  of  his  prisoners.  The  governor,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  regard  that  as  a  state  secret,  and 
declined  making  any  but  a  very  evasive  answer. 
As  some  amends  for  his  severity,  he  condescended 
to  give  Captain  Williams  full  permission  to  visit 
the  prisoners,  of  which  the  veteran  immediately 
availed  himself.  The  kind-hearted  old  seaman 
was  deeply  affected,  as  he  held  Morton  in  his 
arms  with  all  the  affection  of  a  fond  father — 

"  That  ever  I  should  live  to  see  my  old  school- 
fellow Jonathan  Morton's  son  in  such  a  situation r 
and  not  be  able  to  help  him," — were  the  first 
words  he  was  able  to  articulate.  Morton  endea- 
vored to  calm  him,  by  repeated  assurances  that 
he  felt  no  apprehension  j  that  he  had  no  doubt 
that  a  certain  friend  was  busy  in  projecting  a  plan 
for  their  deliverance.  It  was  some  time  before  he 
was  sufficiently  composed  to  converse. 


MORTON.  253 

"  Have  you  tried  the  old  Don  with  a  few  dou- 
bloons ?"  asked  Morton. 

"No,  d — n  him,  I  never  thought  of  that;  I 
can't  get  a  word  of  common  sense  or  common 
civility  out  of  the  old  mule/' 

"  I  believe  if  he  had  taken  the  boat-load  of 
goods  when  he  took  us,  that  he  would  have  been 
more  willing  to  listen  to  you." 

"  Ah,  very  like  ;  the  old  fox  missed  the  goose, 
and  he  is  venting  his  malice  upon  you  in  stead. 
But,  my  dear  boy,  I  don't  exactly  know  how  to 
go  to  work  to  offer  a  bribe.  Damme,  I  could  land 
thirty  men  this  blessed  night,  and  pull  this  old 
rookery  down,  and  get  you  all  out  that  way  ;  but 
as  for  bribery,  it  is  a  devilish  dirty  piece  of  busi- 
ness, to  make  the  best  of  it :  besides,  I  tell  you,  I 
don't  know  how  ;  if  I  did,  I  would  try  it,  as  dirty 
as  I  think  it." 

Morton,  could  not  forbear  smiling  at  the  old 
man's  unwillingness  to  employ  a  piece  of  machin- 
ery, at  the  present  day  so  indispensable  in  our 
government  throughout  all  its  branches  ;  he  as- 
sured him  that  nothing  was  more  simple  ;  it  was 
only  to  wait  upon  the  Don  in  private,  and  request 
his  acceptance  of  either  cash  or  certain  valuable 
merchandize,  that  would  be  attractive  in  the  sight 
of  the  governor.  "  There  are  my  silver -mounted 
pistols,  and  curious  East  India  dagger,  and  my 
rifle,  that  all  might  be  thrown  out  as  baits  to  begin 
with  ;" — it  was  all  in  vain  ;  the  blunt  old  seaman 
still  persisted  that  bribery,  or  any  thing  that  ap~ 


i54  MORTON. 

proximated  it,  was  but  a  dirty  affair  after  all  ;  and 
that,  although  he  would  leave  no  plan  untried  to 
effect  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners,  there  was  a 
moral  contamination  attached  to  the  mode  pro- 
posed that  he  neither  could  nor  would  submit  to. 

True  to  his  appointment,  Captain  Williams, 
soon  after  sunset,  repaired  to  dame  Juanita's  shop, 
with  the  location  of  which  he  had  previously 
made  himself  acquainted.  He  was  introduced  by 
that  worthy  old  lady  into  her  back  parlor,  if  a 
little  apartment  ten  feet  square,  with  a  clay  floor 
and  no  windows,  deserves  so  dignified,  or  rather 
so  comfortable  a  title  ;  and  in  half  an  hour  a  fe- 
male, closely  veiled,  entered  the  room.  Notwith- 
standing her  disguise,  the  old  seaman  had  tact 
enough  to  perceive  that  his  companion  was  young 
and  graceful,  or  in  more  modern  language,  gen- 
teel, while  the  silvery  music  of  her  voice,  as  she 
addressed  him,  convinced  him  that  she  could  be 
no  otherwise  than  beautiful. 

"  Are  you,"  said  the  lady,  in  a  hesitating,  tre- 
mulous voice,  "  are  you  the  commander  of  the 
American  ship  in  the  bay  ?" 

"I  am ;  and  you,  senorita,  are  the  lady  who 
wrote  me  the  note  that  1  received  this  morning  ?" 

"  Yes,  I — that  is,  I  sent  you  a  note  requesting 
to  see  you." 

"  And  you  are  the  generous,  devoted,  and  true 
friend  that  takes  such  a  lively  interest  in  the  fate 
of  my  friend  and  officer,  and  his  companions  in 
prison  and  misfortune  ?" 


MORTON.  255 

"  I  am — I  am,"  replied  the  lady  hurriedly. 

"  Arid  you  are,  in  short,"  continued  the  com- 
mander, rising  and  respectfully  offering  his  hand, 
"  you  are  the  lady  Isabella  de  Luna  ?" 

"  I  cannot  deny  it,"  said  she  in  a  faint  voice. 

"  Then,  madam,  you  see  before  you  one  who  is 
acquainted  with  your  story.  Nay,  never  hang 
your  head  for  shame ;  Charles  Morton  is  worth 
any  woman's  love.  I  am  here  ready  with  hand, 
heart,  and  head,  to  second  any  and  every  plan  that 
you  may  propose,  to  effect  his  escape." 

The  lady  remained  silent  for  a  few  moments, 
then  placing  her  small  hand  in  the  broad,  hard 
palm  of  the  old  seaman,  replied,  "  I  know  that  I 
can  put  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  you.  I 
have  heard  from  others— why  should  I  deny  it? 
Mr.  Morton  has  told  me  often,  that,  next  to  his 
father,  he  regards  you  with  affection  and  esteem 
as  his  dearest  and  truest  friend." 

"  And  he  shall  never  be  deceived  in  old  Israel 
Williams,  I  can  tell  him  that,  nor  shall  you,  my 
dear  young  lady." 

"  I  have  but  little  time  to  spare,"  said  the  young 
lady,  with  increasing  trepidation,  "  and  my  com- 
munication must  be  brief,  as  my  plan  is  simple. 
To-morrow  night,  at  ten  o'clock,  Captain  Williams, 
let  your  swiftest  boat  be  at  the  place  where  Mr. 
Morton  and  his  companions  were  taken,  and  let 
her  wait  there  until  day-break.  It  may  not  be  in 
my  power  to  effect  my  object  to-morrow  night ; 
but  let  not  one  nor  two  disappointments  deter  you 


J56  MORTON. 

from  repeating  the  experiment.  In  the  mean  time, 
be  on  shore  to-morrow  as  though  nothing  was  in 
agitation  ;  avoid  exciting  any  suspicions  by  either 
words,  looks,  or  actions  ;  and  be  assured,  that,  if 
the  plan  for  the  rescue  of  the  prisoners  fails,  it 
must  be  from  some  accident  that  can  neither  be 
foreseen  nor  prevented." 

The  commander  of  the  Albatross  having  pro- 
mised to  follow  all  these  directions  to  the  letter, 
they  separated ;  he  to  return  to  his  ship  with  a  joy- 
ful heart,  and  Isabella  to  reconnoitre  the  prison 
previous  to  retiring  to  her  uncle's  house. 

She  passed  the  guard-house  at  a  slow  pace  and 
at  such  distance  as  to  avoid  observation,  but  suf- 
ficiently near  to  ascertain  that  all  the  guard,  four 
in  number  besides  the  corporal,  were  wrapped  up 
in  their  cloaks  and  stretched  out  sound  asleep  up- 
on the  stone  floor  of  the  guard-room,  which  was 
lighted  by  a  large  clumsy  lamp  sufficiently  to  allow 
her  to  see  its  interior.  The  sentry  at  the  door, 
who  was  slowly  pacing  backwards  and  forwards 
with  a  paper  segar  in  his  mouth,  was  the  only  one 
awake. 

As  she  bent  her  steps  homeward,  she  perceived 
some  one  approaching  her,  in  the  very  direction 
that  she  was  going,  with  an  uncertain,  faltering 
footstep  that  denoted  considerable  intoxication.  To 
avoid  him  she  turned  to  the  right  with  the  purpose 
of  making  a  circuit ;  but,  before  she  had  gone  ten 
yards  with  that  intention,  she  perceived  that  the 
stranger  had  quickened  his  pace  and  changed  his 


MORTON.  257 

direction,  coming  directly  towards  her.  Exceed- 
ingly alarmed,  she  turned  short  round  and  ran,  and 
in  a  moment  perceived  that  her  pursuer  was  like- 
wise running,  and  rapidly  gaining  upon  her.  Fear 
lent  her  speed,  and  with  the  swiftness  of  a  hunted 
deer  she  flew  across  the  plaza  towards  an  open 
space,  terminated  at  its  further  extremity  by  the 
precipitous  cliif  that  the  town  is  built  upon,  and 
which  we  have  mentioned  more  than  once.  Her 
intention  was  to  turn  quickly  round  the  corner  of 
a  house  that  stood  within  four  feet  of  the  edge  of 
the  cliff,  and  gain  another  street ;  or,  if  there  were 
no  other  means  of  escape,  to  take  refuge  in  the 
house  of  a  poor  widow,  one  of  her  pensioners,  and 
obtain  a  guide  and  protector  to  her  uncle's  house. 

Her  pursuer  was  no  other  than  her  self-consti- 
tuted lover,  Don  Gregorio.  He  had  dined  that  day 
with  a  party  of  officers,  and  had  dipped  rather  deep- 
er into  the  bottle  than,  to  tell  the  truth,  he  was  often 
guilty  of  doing.  He  suspected  that  Isabella  was 
in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  prison  ;  but  as  she  was 
generally  accompanied,  in  all  her  rambles,  by  one 
or  both  her  cousins,  he  had  thought  nothing  more 
of  the  circumstance.  But  now  he  was  convinced 
that  she  was  just  returning  from,  or  going  to,  a 
nocturnal  appointment  with  the  prisoner  Morton, 
who  had  always  been  an  object  of  his  hatred,  and 
in  an  instant  his  jealousy  was  in  full  operation. 

The  cliff,  towards  which  he  was  now  ap- 
proaching, was  undefended  by  wall,  fence,  or 
barrier  of  any  kind.  My  readers  have  doubtless 


258  MORTON. 

seen  something  similar  in  their  lives  ;  that  is,  a 
nuisance  that  has  acquired  such  a  venerable  cha- 
racter from  its  antiquity,  that  it  seems  a  species  of 
sacrilege,  a  sort  of  violation  of  municipal"privileges, 
to  remove  or  repair  it.  Such,  for  instance,  in  city 
or  country,  is  a  gap  in  the  street  or  road,  large 
enough  to  swallow  a  brace  of  elephants  at  once  : 
the  inhabitants  become  acquainted  with  its  locali- 
ties ;  and,  wisely  considering  that,  as  it  is  every 
body's  business,  of  course  it  is  nobody's  business, 
to  repair  it,  leave  it  "  open  for  the  inspection  of  the 
public"  for  a  twelvemonth  at  least;  and  if  any  un- 
fortunate stranger  tumbles  in  and  breaks  his  neck, 
on  a  dark  night,  it  is  ten  chances  to  one  that  the 
jury  of  inquest  return  for  a  verdict,  that  •'  the  de- 
ceased came  to  his  death  in  consequence  of  intoxi- 
cation," although  he  may  be  the  most  abstemious 
water-drinker  that  ever  the  sun  shone  upon.  Such 
was,  ten  or  eleven  years  ago,  to  my  certain  know- 
ledge, the  cliff  of  San  Bias.  • 

Maddened  with  jealousy,  and  rendered  incapa- 
ble of  commanding  his  movements  by  intoxication, 
the  unhappy  Don  Gregorio  was  whirled,  by  the 
impetuosity  of  his  own  motion,  far  over  the  brow 
of  the  hideous  precipice.  One  dismal  yell  of  mor- 
tal agony  broke  the  stillness  of  night,  and  the 
next  moment  his  body  was  heard  far  below,  crash- 
ing among  the  bushes  and  loose  stones  at  the  foot 
of  the  cliff.  Fainting  with  horror  at  the  dreadful 
sight,  though  ignorant  of  the  person  of  the  victim, 
Isabella  sank  upon  the  ground,  and  it  was  some 


MORTON.  259 

minutes  before  she  recovered  sufficiently  to  rise. 
When,  at  length,  she  was  somewhat  restored,  she 
turned  towards  her  uncle's  house  with  feeble  steps 
and  slow,  frequently  stopping  to  lean  against  the 
walls  of  the  houses ;  she  tottered  into  the  room 
where  the  family  were  assembled,  and  sank  sense- 
less upon  the  floor.  Her  relatives,  exceedingly 
terrified,  administered  restoratives,  and  conveyed 
her  to  her  own  chamber,  where,  when  she  was 
somewhat  composed,  she  informed  her  anxious 
friends  that  she  had  been  pursued  by  an  intoxica- 
ted person,  and  was  extremely  terrified,  and-begged 
to  be  left  to  her  repose,  which  she  assured  them 
was  all  she  required.  Having  obtained  all  the 
information  they  were  likely  to,  her  kind  and 
inquisitive  cousins  left  her,  after  compelling  her 
to  swallow  a  composing  medicine.  She  awoke  in 
the  morning  perfectly  refreshed  ;  the  horrid  scene 
that  she  had  witnessed  the  night  before  seeming 
rather  like  a  terrifying  dream  than  a  mournful 
reality. 

Before  she  left  her  chamber,  a  man,  with  his 
jaws  standing  ajar  with  horror,  called  upon  the 
governor,  and  requested  to  speak  with  him  in  pri- 
vate. He  then  informed  his  excellency,  that  as  he 
was  rambling  through  the  woods  at  the  foot  of  the 
precipice,  he  had  found  the  dead  body  of  an  officer, 
who  had  evidently  fallen  from  the  cliff  above ;  that 
it  was  so  frightfully  mangled  by  the  fall,  that  no 
vestiges  of  humanity  were  recognizable  in  the 
countenance,  or  in  the  body ;  but  that,  from  the 


260  MORTON. 

peculiar  fashion  of  the  regimentals,  he  was  almost 
sure  that  it  was  his  excellency's  aid-du-camp,  Don 
Gregorio  Nunez.  Alarmed  by  this  intelligence, 
the  governor  despatched  a  servant  to  that  officer's 
quarters,  who  soon  returned  with  the  intelligence 
that  he  had  not  been  there  since  the  morning  of 
the  preceding  day.  Further  inquiry  among  his 
brother  officers  informed  him  that  he  had  left  their 
company  the  evening  before  about  ten  o'clock : 
that  he  had  been  drinking  freely,  rather  more 
freely  than  usual ;  and  that  they  had  not  seen 
him  ^since. 

Having  commanded  the  attendance  of  two  or 
three  officers  and  as  many  soldiers,  the  command- 
ante  proceeded  to  the  spot,  guided  by  his  first  in- 
formant, and  was  convinced,  as  soon  as  he  saw 
the  crushed  and  mutilated  mass,  that  it  was  no 
other  than  his  unhappy  officer.  Having  given 
orders  for  transporting  the  body  to  town,  he  re- 
turned to  his  family,  who,  although  aware,  from 
his  abstracted  and  pensive  manner,  that  something 
had  happened  to  discompose  him,  forbore  to  ask 
any  questions — a  line  of  conduct  which,  by  the 
way,  we  would  most  earnestly  recommend  to  all 
wives  and  daughters.  Isabella's  mind  was  too 
much  occupied  with  her  own  thoughts  to  notice 
the  silence  and  melancholy  of  her  uncle ;  she  ate 
nothing,  but  her  aunt  and  cousins  attributed  her 
want  of  appetite  to  the  fright  of  the  preceding 
evening ;  as  her  eyes  met  their  kind  and  anxious 
looks,  and  she  thought  of  her  determination  to 


MORTON.  281 

quit  them  forever,  she  could  not  restrain  her  tears ; 
but  rising  hastily  from  the  table,  she  took  shelter 
from  observation  and  questioning  in  her  own 
chamber. 


22* 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

1  did  compound 

A  certain  staff,  which,  being  U'en,  would  cease 
The  present  powers  of  life ;  but  in  short  time, 
All  offices  of  nature  should  again 
Do  their  due  functions. 

CTMBBLINK. 

SHORTLY  after  the  sea-breeze  had  set  in — that  is, 
between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock — a  sail  was  dis- 
covered in  the  western  horizon,  standing  in  for 
the  land  ;  which  sail  the  commander  of  the  Alba- 
tross, in  a  short  time,  made  out,  with  the  help  of 
his  glass,  to  be  the  guarda-costa,  to  his  no  small 
vexation  and  disappointment.  She  stood  in,  how- 
ever; but  instead  of  anchoring  as  usual,  in  what 
may  be  called  the  outer  harbor,  she  ran  close  in 
to  the  landing-place,  furled  her  sails,  and  then,  to 
Captain  Williams's  great  relief,  sent  down  her 
fore-yard,  stripped  it  of  the  sail  and  rigging,  and 
launched  it  overboard.  Two  boats,  full  of  men, 
^were  soon  seen  towing  it  ashore,  the  spar  having 
been  "sprung"  in  one  of  those  sudden  and  vio- 
lent "flaws"  of  wind  so  peculiar  to  high  and 
mountainous  coasts. 

All  this  was  extremely  gratifying  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  American  ship ;  in  the  first  place 
the  Yenganza  (for  that  was  the  warlike  name  of 


MORTON.  263 

this  redoubtable  man-of-war),  by  lying  so  far  up 
the  harbor,  was  out  of  the  line  between  the  Alba- 
tross and  the  point  where  it  was  intended  to  send 
a  boat  that  night ;  and  secondly,  the  absence  of  so 
indispensable  a  spar  as  the  fore-yard  would  render 
pursuit  impossible. 

Captain  Williams  went  on  shore  in  the  after- 
noon, and  met  the  old  Don,  who  treated  him  with 
great  condescension,  and  even  hinted  at  the  pro- 
bability of  his  making  another  visit  to  the  Alba- 
tross, to  which  hint  the  seaman  replied  as  politely 
as  could  be  expected.  It  was  nearly  night  when 
he  once  more  entered  dame  Juanita's  shop,  from 
which  he  took  the  liberty  to  despatch  a  message  to 
Isabella.  She  appeared  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
hastily  assured  him  that  the  prospect  of  success 
was  bright,  and  that  nothing  existed  at  that  time 
that  threatened  to  defeat  their  plans. 

As  soon  as  he  returned  to  his  ship,  he  made 
preparations  for  getting  under  way  as  speedily  as 
possible  ;  the  bower  anchor  was  hove  up,  and  the 
ship  rode  by  a  light  kedge,  there  being  then  but 
little  wind  or  tide ;  the  gaskets  were  cast  off  the 
topsails,  and  their  places  supplied  with  ropeyarns, 
which  would  break  as  soon  as  the  "bunts,"  or 
middle  of  the  sails,  were  let  fall ;  the  clewlines 
and  other  running-rigging  were  overhauled  ;  and 
every  other  plan  for  making  sail  upon  the  ship  as 
expeditiously  and  as  silently  as  possible,  was 
adopted.  The  crew  of  the  Albatross  performed 
all  these  different  acts  of  duty  with  silence  and 


264  MORTON. 

alacrity.  Although  their  commander  had  not 
communicated  his  plan  to  them,  they  knew  by  in- 
stinct that  something  bold  and  daring  was  to  be 
attempted  that  night  for  the  rescue  of  their  favorite 
officer,  and  their  four  messmates  ;  and  their  hopes 
of  a  brush  with  the  "Don  Degos"  were  most 
keenly  excited.  They  were  assembled  on  the 
forecastle,  holding  "  high  dispute  "  and  conjecture 
upon  the  course  about  to  be  pursued. 

"Now  if  I  was  the  old  man,"  said  one  of  the 
younger  seamen,  "  I  tell  you  what  I  would  do.  I 
would  jest  land  as  many  of  us  as  could  be  spared, 
with  cutlasses  and  boarding-pikes  "- 

"  And  pistols,"  interrupted  another. 

"  No ;  d — n  your  pistols ;  they  make  too  much 
noise  ;  they're  all  talk  and  no  cider ;  besides,  they 
miss  fire  half  the  time  ;  and  before  you  get  ready 
for  another  shot,  Don  Dego  has  his  thundering 
baggonet  right  in  your  g — ts ;  and  then  where  are 
you  ?" 

"  Now  you  may  all  of  you,"  said  an  old  sea- 
man, "  you  may  all  of  you  just  pipe  belay  with 
your  jaw-tackle-falls.  Captain  Williams  knows 
what  he's  about,  and  you'll  know  before  morning 
what  he's  up  to.  You'd  better  take  a  fool's  advice, 
and  catch  a  cat-nap  before  you're  called  away. 
The  boats  a'n't  histed  up,  and  when  did  you  ever 
know  'em  in  the  water  after  dark  since  we've  been 
lying  here  ?"  So  saying,  the  veteran  disappeared 
down  the  fore-ladder. 

'•'  There  goes  old  Jemmy  Bush,  starn  foremost 


MORTON.  £65 

down  the  fore-scuttle,  like  a  land-bear  going  into 
his  hole." 

"Well,"  said  another  smart,  active  young  sea- 
man, the  favorite  of  the  crew ;  "  I  shall  take  old 
Jemmy's  advice,  and  go  and  get  forty  winks  in 
my  hammock.  If  there's  more  or  less  of  us  sent 
on  this  expedition,  we  sha'n't  be  called  away  till 
ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  when  all  the  Degos  are 
asleep,  and  there's  nothing  awake  in  the  town  but- 
fleas  and  cats." 

The  proposition  for  sleeping  prevailed,  and  the 
groups  on  the  forecastle  began  to  disappear,  when 
the  voice  of  the  second  mate  was  heard  : 

"For'ard  there!" 

"  Sir,  sir,"  answered  half  a  dozen  eager  voices 
at  once. 

"  Who  has  the  anchor  watch  ?" 

"  Bill  Thompson  artd  Sam  Hughes,  sir." 

"  Go  in  the  boats  along-side,  and  see  that  they 
have  their  full  complement  of  oars  ;  and  see,  too, 
that  the  masts  and  sails  are  on  board  all  of  them.'' 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  my  sons  of  brass  ?"  said  old 
Jones,  the  boatswain,  "  that  looks  as  if  there  was 
going  to  be  wigs  on  the  green  before  morning." 

We  must  now  leave' the  marine  department  for 
awhile,  in  order  to  attend  to  exclusively  terrene 
concerns.  As  night  closed,  Morton  could  not 
avoid  feeling  extreme  anxiety  ;  Isabella  had  not 
visited  the  prison  since  the  day  previous,  nor  had 
she  sent  any  message.  Doubts  the  most  annoying 


266  MORTON. 

possessed  his  mind — at  one  time  he  thought  she 
had  been  detected  in  her  schemes  for  his  rescue ; 
then  that  her  courage  had  failed,  and  she  had 
abandoned  him  to  his  fate  ;  or  that  her  affection 
for  her  relatives  had  overcome  her  love  for  him. 
He  liad  partially  made  known  to  his  four  fellow- 
prisoners  his  hopes  of  relief,  cautioning  them 
against  sleeping,  but  enjoining  upon  them  to  keep 
perfectly  quiet. 

It  was  now  past  nine  o'clock ;  and,  with  min- 
gled feelings  of  disappointment,  grief,  and  anger, 
he  was  just  resigning  all  hopes,  when  the  sentry 
at  the  door  challenged.  The  next  moment  a  per- 
son dressed  in  a  long,  loose  cloak  stood  before 
him,  whom  he  immediately  recognized  as  his 
loved  Isabella. 

"  I  have  brought  you  some  supper  and  some 
wine,"  said  the  young  lady,  addressing  him, 
as  usual  upon  similar  occasions,  in  Spanish  ; 
"  I  ought  to  have  come  before,  but  it  was  im- 
possible." 

So  saying,  she  set  her  basket  upon  the  stone 
bench,  and,  in  so  doing,  whispered  Morton  : 

"  Every  thing  is  ready ;  be  patient,  and  be 
guided  by  me." 

"  But  how  are  you  about  to  manage  these  fel- 
lows ?  it  will  take  all  night  to  get  them  drunk,  if 
that  is  your  plan  ;  for  your  soldiers,  it  cannot  be 
denied,  are  extremely  temperate,  and  will  seldom 
do  me  the  honor  to  empty  more  than  a  single 
bottle  among  the  whole  five." 


MORTON.  267 

"  Hush,  hush ;  I  have  a  surer  way  than  mere 
wine." 

As  she  spoke  she  drew  from  her  bosom  a  phial, 
containing  a  dark  liquid.  Morton  started  back  in 
horror — (he  thought  he  saw, 'in  the  composed  and 
lovely  countenance  of  the  beautiful  being  before 
him,  the  cold-blooded,  deliberate,  practised  as- 
sassin— ) 

"  Good  God  !  Isabella,  is  it  possible  ?  never, 
never  will  I  owe  my  life  and  liberty  to  such  abo- 
minable, such  cowardly  means !" 

"  Dismiss  your  suspicions,"  said  Isabella,  turn- 
ing pale  and  trembling  ;  "  they  are  unworthy  of 
you,  and  wholly  unmerited  by  me.  Not  to  save 
your  life,  which  I  value  as  I  do  my  own,  would  I 
commit  mur — the  crime  that  you  suspect.  This 
phial  contains  a  simple  opiate,  not  half  so  dan- 
gerous or  disagreeable  as  the  laudanum  and  cam- 
phor of  your  ship's  medicine  chest.  The  sleep 
produced  by  it  is  speedy  and  deep,  and  lasts  four 
or  five  hours." 

Observing  that  Morton  still  looked  distrustingly, 
she  continued,  with  streaming  eyes — 

"  Dear  Charles,  if  you  doubt  me  still.  I  will 
swallow  the  whole  ;  its  operation  will  not  take 
place  before  I  reach  home,  and  will  only  cause 
long,  deep  sleep  ;  but,  in  that  case,  your  hopes  of 
escape  are  cut  off  forever.  To-morrow,  or  the 
next  day,  at  farthest,  you  are  to  be  sent  to  the 
capital"— her  tears  choked  her  utterance. 

"  Dearest   Isabella,"   said   Morton,   taking  her 


2«8  MORTON. 

hands  in  both  his,  and  pressing  them  to  his  bo- 
som, "  forgive  my  cruel  suspicions,  but  I  own  you 
startled  me  exceedingly." 

"  Leave  all  to  my  management,  and  in  half  an 
hour  all  will  be  well." 

In  the  mean  time  the  seamen  had  "boarded" 
the  basket,  and  spread  its  contents  upon  the  stone 
bench,  that  did  triple  duty  as  a  bed,  a  seat,  and  a 
table,  as  occasion  required.  The  soldiers  roused 
themselves  at  the  gurgling  sound  of  the  wine,  as 
it  was  decanted  into  cups  made  of  the  large  end 
ot  an  ox's  horn,  scraped  thin,  and  capable  of  con- 
taining a  pint  or  more.  Isabella  dexterously 
poured  the  contents  of  the  phial  into  a  cup,  which 
was  filled  with  wine,  and  Morton,  taking  it  in  his 
hand,  approached  the  corporal  with  a  nod  of  invi- 
tation. After  holding  it  to  his  lips  for  some  time, 
as  if  taking  a  deep  draught,  he  passed  it  to  the 
corporal ;  that  officer,  touching  his  cap  a  la  mili- 
taire,  drank  and  passed  the  horn,  according  to 
South  American  custom,  to  his  comrades.  The 
prisoners  and  Isabella  watched  its  circulation  with 
most  painful  anxiety,  and  soon  had  the  felicity  of 
beholding  it  turned  bottom  upwards  over  the 
mouth  of  the  sentry  at  the  door.  Another  bottle 
was  opened,  and  poured,  unobserved  by  the  sol- 
diers, into  another  cup,  which,  being  handed  to 
the  sailors,  was  almost  immediately  passed  back 
again,  "  a  body  without  a  soul."  Another  cup, 
medicated  like  the  first,  was  prepared,  and  the 
prisoners,  apparently  busied  with  their  supper, 


MORTON.  269 

awaited  with  trepidation  the  effect  of  the  me- 
dicine. 

After  the  lapse  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
which  seemed  as  many  hours  to  the  prisoners,  the 
corporal  betrayed  palpable  symptoms  of  somno- 
lency. He  had  seated  himself  with  his  back  to 
the  wall,  and  his  feet  towards  a  small  fire  that 
was  kept  burning  in  the  middle  of  the  guard-room 
every  night,  to  drive  away  the  moschetoes,  and 
had  commenced  a  song,  in  a  low  voice.  The' 
first  stanza  he  managed  very  respectably ;  but, 
before  he  had  half  finished  the  second,  both  the 
air  and  words  seemed  strangely  deranged ;  his 
head  sank  upon  his  breast,  and  he  snored  repeat- 
edly, instead  of  singing;  he  made  an  effort  to 
arouse  himself,  uttered  that  ejaculation  common 
to  all  ranks  and  both  sexes  of  Spaniards,  but 
which  is  too  gross  to  be  written,  and,  stretching 
himself  at  full  length  upon  the  floor,  was  sound 
asleep  in  an  instant.  His  three  comrades  were 
not  slow  in  following  his  example  ;  wrapped  in 
their  ponchos,  or  South  American  cloaks,  they 
"took  ground"  around  the  fire,  and  were  soon 
asleep. 

The  sentry  at  the  door,  after  two  or  three  times 
stumbling  over  his  own  feet,  and  as  often  dropping 
his  musket  out  of  his  arms  from  mere  drowsiness, 
came  into  the  guard-room  to  light  a  segar,  which 
he  eventually  accomplished  at  the  imminent  risk 
of  pitching  head  foremost  into  the  fire.  He  re- 
sumed his  station  at  the  door,  but  was  too  sleepy 

23 


J70  MORTON. 

to  walk  on  his  post ;  he  seated  himself  on  the 
stone  bench,  the  butt  of  his  musket  resting  upon 
the  ground  between  his  feet,  and  the  muzzle  lean- 
ing against  his  shoulder  ;  the  lighted  segar  drop- 
ped from  his  mouth  ;  he  leaned  his  head  against 
the  door-post,  extended  his  feet  and  legs,  and  in  a 
few  seconds  his  nasal  organ,  in  strains  like  the 
nocturnal  song  of  one  of  our  largest  bull-frogs, 
gave  notice  that  he  was  "absent  without  leave" 
to  the  land  of  Nod. 

Isabella  now  arose,  and.  motioning  to  the  prison- 
ers to  remain  quiet,  tripped  backwards  and  for- 
wards through  the  guard-room,  to  ascertain  that 
the  soldiers  were  asleep.  Having  satisfied  herself 
on  this  point,  she  beckoned  to  them  to  follow  her. 
In  passing  through  the  guard-room,  Morton  as 
well  as  his  companions  felt  a  strong  inclination  to 
possess  themselves  of  the  arms  of  the  guard,  which 
were  piled  in  one  corner.  Their  fair  guide  how- 
ever entreated  them  to  desist ;  but  one  of  the  sea- 
men, in  attempting,  to  use  his  own  language,  to 
"unship"  one  of  the  bayonets,  made  so  much 
noise  with  the  muskets,  as  alarmed  himself  as  well 
as  the  rest  ;  and  the  whole  party  sallied  out  un- 
armed. 

Near  the  door  they  were  met  by  another  per- 
son, that  alarmed  the  prisoners  exceedingly  ;  but 
it  proved  to  be  Transita,  Isabella's  Mexican 
servant,  loaded  with  two  "sizeable"  bundles  ;  for 
the  annals  of  elopements,  from  the  earliest  ages 
down  to  the  present  day,  have  not  recorded  a  sin- 


MORTON.  S71 

gle  instance  of  a  lady's  running  away  from  "  cruel 
parents  "or  cross  husband  without  the  accompani- 
ment of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  baggage  ;  nay,  I 
have  heard  of  one  young  lady  who  accomplished  a 
most  perilous  descent  from  her  chamber  window 
into  the  arms  of  an  expecting  lover,  and  returned 
for  her  favorite  lap-dog,  at  the  most  imminent  risk 
of  detection  and  close  imprisonment  at  the  hands 
of  her  "  ugly,  eld,  cross  papa." 

Transita,  like  her  mistress,  was  dressed  in  boy's 
clothes,  a  disguise  that  so  effectually  imposed  upon 
the  four  sailors,  that  in  a  whispered  conversation 
between  them  it  it  was  decided  that  the  two 
"young  gentlemen"  were  the  sons  of  the  merchant 
to  whom  the  cargo  had  been  sold.  Keeping  close 
to  the  side  of  the  plaza,  the  whole  party  advanced 
swiftly  and  silently  without  meeting  a  human 
being,  and  turned  down  the  open  space  where  Don 
Gregorio  had  met  his  horrid  fate.  As  the  dreadful 
scene  rose  to  Isabella's  memory,  she  could  not 
repress  a  faint  exclamation  of  horror,  and  hurried 
with  increased  speed  down  the  narrow  pathway 
on  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  to  escape  from  the  hideous 
recollection.  Just  as  they  were  emerging  from 
their  narrow  and  crooked  path  into  the  street  that 
terminated  in  the  blind  passage  through  the  wood, 
they  were  startled  by  the  regular,  heavy  tread  of 
soldiers,  apparently  approaching  them.  It  was  a 
small  patrol  of  a  corporal  and  three  men  from  the 
barrack  at  the  water  side,  but  who  were  not  con- 
nected with  the  guard  in  the  plaza.  As  they  drew 


172  MORTON. 

nigh,  the  party  stood  perfectly  still,  except  that  one 
of  the  tars  drew  forth  his  jack-knife,  and  another 
picked  up  a  moderate-sized  stone,  observing  in  a 
whisper  that  if  they  came  too  nigh,  he  would  try 
which  was  the  hardest,  a  Spaniard's  scull  or  that 
"  ground  nut,"  as  he  designated  the  stone  which 
he  held  in  his  hand.  The  soldiers,  however, 
passed  on  without  seeing  them,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  their  footsteps  became  inaudible. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


"  She  is  won  :  we  are  gone,  over  bank,  bush,  and  scaur; 
They'll  have  fleet  steeds  that  follow,"  quoth  young  Locliinvar. 

MARMION. 


THE  liberated  seamen  once  more  pushed  forward, 
no  longer  guided  by  Isabella,  who  had  got  as  far 
as  her  knowledge  of  the  place  extended,  and  were 
again,  in  nautical  language,  "brought  up  all 
standing."  A  priest,  returning  from  the  death-bed 
of  one  of  his  flock,  saw  them  gliding  along  silently 
and  in  "  Indian  file."  His  head  being  full  of  good 
wine,  death,  the  devil,  &c.,  and  the  place  enjoying 
moreover  the  reputation  of  beinghaunted,  his  imagi- 
nation magnified  and  multiplied  the  seven  fugitives 
into  a  legion  of  devils,  with  horns,  tails,  and  fiery 
breath  complete.  Under  this  impression  he  began 
to  thunder  forth  a  Latin  form  of  exorcism  :  "  In 
nomine  sanctae  Trinitatis  et  purissimae  Virginis, 
exorcizo  vos  !  Apage,  Satan  a  !  Vade  retro,  dia- 
bole  !"  &c.  <fcc.  in  such  abominably  bad  Latin,  that 
a  devil  or  a  ghost  of  the  least  classical  taste  would 
have  incontinently  fled  to  the  Red  Sea,  without 
waiting  to  hear  another  syllable  of  the  formula 
that  sent  him  thither.  The  bawling  of  the  priest 
awoke  several  of  the  neighbors,  and  sundry  night- 


174  MORTON. 

capped  heads  were  protruded  from  the  windows  of 
the  nearest  houses  ;  but  the  proprietors,  catching  a 
glimpse  of  the  objects  of  the  priest's  alarm,  and  not 
caring  to  play  bo-peep  with  the  devil,  closed  and 
barred  their  casements,  and  betook  them  to  their 
beads. 

The  party  glided  on  in  the  same  swift,  silent 
pace  ;  but  the  hindmost  sailor,  irritated  by  the  con- 
tinued vociferation  of  the  priest,  and  stumbling  at 
that  moment  over  the  carcase  of  a  dog  that  had 
given  up  the  ghost  a  few  hours  before,  seized  it  by 
the  hind  leg,  and  flung  it  at  the  holy  man  with 
such  true  aim  and  force,  as  brought  him  to  the 
ground.  Luckily  the  monk  swooned  away  with 
terror  at  this  unexpected  buffeting  in  the  flesh 
from  Satan,  and  his  noise  was  consequently  stop- 
ped. The  next  moment  the  party  plunged  into 
the  bushy  path,  and  were  instantly  lost  to  the 
view  of  the  inhabitants,  if  indeed  any  were  look- 
ing after  them. 

Advancing  swiftly  along  the  rough  path,  and 
losing  their  way  two  or  three  times,  they  at  length 
heard  the  light  dash  of  the  surf  upon  the  sand- 
beach  ;  but,  to  their  no  small  alarm,  they  also 
plainly  heard,  from  time  to  time,  the  low  hum  of 
voices,  though  their  language  was  not  distinguish- 
able. Fearing  the  worst,  Morton  advanced  alone 
to  reconnoitre,  notwithstanding  Isabella's  earnest 
entreaties  not  to  be  left  alone.  Moving  slowly 
and  cautiously  towards  the  point  whence  pro- 
ceeded the  voices,  the  soft  sand  rendering  his  foot- 


MORTON.  275 

steps  inaudible,  he  approached  as  near  as  he  durst, 
and  listened  for  some  minutes  with  the  most  fixed 
attention,  to  catch  a  word  that  would  indicate  the 
character  and  nation  of  the  speakers,  but  in  vain  ; 
and  he  was  on  the  point  of  returning  to  his  friends 
in  despair,  when  he  plainly  distinguished  the  ex- 
clamation, "  d n  my  eyes,"  uttered  by  some 

one  at  no  great  distance  from  where  he  stood.  No 
Sontag  or  Malibran  ever  warbled  a  note  that  con- 
tained a  hundredth  part  of  the  sweetness  and 
music  that  was  comprised  in  that  simple  and 
unsophisticated  ejaculation  ;  it  decided  in  an  in- 
stant, and  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt,  who  and 
what  was  the  speaker.  His  joy  was  inconceivable, 
and  he  could  scarce  refrain  from  giving  vent  to  it 
in  a  loud  shout.  Returning  immediately,  he  com- 
municated the  joyful  intelligence  to  his  friends  ; 
and  the  whole  party,  with  light  hearts  and  rapid 
steps,  advanced  towards  the  beach.  Just  as  they 
stepped  from  the  shade  and  covert  of  the  bushes, 
a  pistol,  the  bright  barrel  of  which  glittered  in  the 
starlight,  was  presented  to  Morton's  breast ;  and 
the  holder  thereof,  in  a  gmm  voice,  commanded 
him  to  "  stand  !" 

"Heave  to,  and  let's  overhaul  your  papers," 
continued  the  speaker,  who  was  immediately  re- 
cognized, by  the  voice,  as  Jones,  the  boatswain  of 
the  Albatross. 

"  Hush,  hush,  don't  speak  so  loud  ;  'tis  I,  'tis 
Morton — Jones,  is  that  you,  my  old  boy  ?" 


276  MORTON. 

"  God  bless  you,  Mr.  Morton,  it  is  you  indeed — 
1  thought  'twas  a  raft  of  them  thundering  sojers 
bearing  down  upon  us.  I've  been  lying  to,  under 
the  lee  of  this  'ere  bush,  for  this  two  hours  or 
more,  waiting  for  you." 

The  parleying  between  their  "look-out  ship," 
as  they  called  Jones,  and  the  strangers,  attracted 
the  whole  party  of  the  Albatross  to  the  spot ;  and 
Morton,  to  his  surprise,  found  himself  and  his 
companions  surrounded  by  at  least  thirty  well- 
armed  men.  His  friend  Walker,  the  second  mate 
of  the  ship,  advanced,  and  testifying  the  sincerest 
affection,  welcomed  him  once  more  to  liberty  and 
the  company  of  his  shipmates.  Kind  greetings 
and  hearty  welcomes  were  given  by  the  seamen, 
in  their  blunt,  straight-forward  way,  and  not  a 
few  jokes  were  passed  upon  the  four  liberated  tars 
by  their  light-hearted  messmates. 

"  I  say,  Tom  Wentvvorth,  how  much  grub  did 
the  Don  Degos  allow  you  ?  a  rat  a-piece,  or  the 
hind  leg  of  a  jackass  among  the  four  of  you  ?" 

"  Ay,"  said  another,  "  and  Sundays  they  had 
a  jackass's  head  stewed  in  a  lantern,  and  stuffed 
with  sogers'  coats." 

"  Yes,"  said  a  third,  "  and  green-hide  soup  three 
times  a  week." 

"  Seasoned  with  brick-dust  and  pig-weeds.'' 
said  a  fourth,  "  by  way  of  red  pepper  and  cab- 


"  Well,  never  mind  what  they've  had,"  said  old 
Tom    Jones,   interposing,   "one  thing's  sartain, 


MORTON.  277 

they  ha'n't  had  any  steam,  that's  jist  as  clear  as 
mud." 

"  You're  idle  there,  old  Torn  Pipes  ;  we've  had 
as  much  good  wine  as  we  could  lay  our  sides  to. 
But  howsomever,  if  you've  got  any  white-eye  in 
that  black  betty  that  you're  rousing  out  of  your 
pea-jacket  pocket,  I  don't  much  care  if  I  take  a 
drop." 

"  Poor  children  !"  said  the  boatswain,  "  they've 
been  kept  this  whole  week  in  a  snug,  warm  cali- 
boose,  and  they'll  catch  cold  if  they're  out  in  the 
night  air." 

So  saying,  he  offered  his  junk-bottle  of  New 
HJnglancl  to  Morton^  who  declined  its  and  it  was. 
then  passed  to  his  four  fellow-prisoners,  who  took 
a  long,  deliberate,  steady  aim  at  the  stars  through 
it  in  succession. 

By  this  time  the  two  whale-boats  and  yawls, 
that  constituted  the  flotilla  of  the  shore  party,  were 
hauled  as  close  to  the  beach  as  the  shoalness  of 
the  water  would  permit,  and  the  embarkation 
commenced  ;  Morton  carrying  the  fair  Isabella  in 
his  arms,  and  depositing  her  in  the  stern-sheets  of 
the  swiftest  of  the  boats,  in  which  he  found  ample 
store  of  boat-cloaks  and  pea-jackets  to  protect  her 
from  the  night  air  and  heavy  dews.  Her  attend- 
ant, Transita,  was  about  following  her  mistress, 
when  Tom  Jones,  who  had  no  suspicion  that 
there  were  more  than  one  "young  gentleman" 
concerned  in  effecting  the  escape  of  his  shipmates, 


278  MORTON. 

or  about  taking  passage  in  the  ship,  laid  his  huge 
hand  upon  her  shoulder,  exclaiming, 

"  Halloa  !  shipmate,  where  are  you  bound  to,  if 
the  wind  stands  ?" 

"  What  are  you  about  there,  Jones  ?"  shouted 
Morton  from  the  boat,  "  she — he,  I  mean,  is  to  go 
off  with  us.  Take  him  through  the  surf." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ;  come,  Mr.  She — he,  just  get  upon 
my  shoulders,  if  you  please ;  come,  bear  a  hand 
before  it  snows — there,  stow  yourself  away  in  the 
starn -sheets — there,  that's  the  time  of  day — shove 
her  bows  off,  Sam,  arid  jump  aboard — so,  pull 
round  your  larboard  oars — now  give  way  to- 
gether." 

Their  oars  being  all  muffled,  they  glided,  si- 
lently and  swiftly,  towards  the  offing,  edging  away 
a  little  to  the  south,  or  farther  side  of  the  bay,  to 
avoid  the  possibility  of  observation  from  the  shore. 
They  had  proceeded  swiftly  for  some  minutes, 
and  had  passed  the  point  on  which  the  battery 
stands  without  speaking  a  word,  when  the  silence 
was  broken  by  Morton. — 

"  Where  is  the  ship,  Jones  ?  do  you  see  any 
thing  of  her  ?" 

The  boatswain  desisted  rowing,  and,  holding  his 
head  down  as  near  the  water  as  possible,  looked 
long  and  anxiously  to  the  western  horizon. 

"  I  don't  see  her,"  said  he,  "  unless  that's  her, 
here  on  our  starboard  bow." 

"  No,  that's  the  rock." 

By  this  time  the  other  boats  had  come  up,  and 


MORTON.  279 

all  agreed  that  nothing-  could  be  seen  of  the  ship. 
After  a  brief  consultation,  it  was  decided  that  their 
safest  plan  was  to  continue  rowing  to  the  west- 
ward, and  that  they  would  be  sure  of  seeing  the 
ship  at  daybreak ;  whereas  if  daylight  found  them 
in  the  bay,  they  would  most  assuredly  be  seen, 
and  chased  by  the  boats  from  the  shore. 

Isabella,  whom  most  powerful  excitement  had 
supported  from  the  prison  to  the  point  of  embark- 
ation, had  since  then,  reclining  on  the  stern-sheets 
of  the  boat,  and  supported  by  her  lover's  arms, 
been  in  a  state  of  stupor  and  silence  ;  her  thoughts 
were  in  a  complete  whirl,  almost  amounting  to 
delirium  ;  the  kind  and  soothing  voice  of  Morton 
she  scarcely  heard,  and  she  only  awoke  to  con- 
sciousness during  the  short  deliberation  just  men- 
tioned. In  an  agony  of  terror  at  the  doubt  and 
uncertainty  that  she  heard  expressed  around  her, 
she  uttered  the  wildest  exclamations,  and  struggled 
with  Morton  and  her  attendant,  who  endeavored 
in  vain  to  pacify  and  sooth  her.  With  unspeak- 
able anguish  Morton  witnessed,  for  half  an  hour, 
the  confusion  of  her  intellects,  till  at  length  she 
sunk  down  exhausted,  and  wept  bitterly.  At  this 
moment  a  voice  from  the  yawl  that  had  gone 
ahead,  shouted,  "  There  she  is  !" 

"  Where,  where  ?"  asked  a  dozen  eager  voices. 

"  Right  ahead." 

Every  eye  was  instantly  turned  in  that  direc- 
tion, and,  to  their  unutterable  joy,  they  saw,  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  mile,  the  light  of  a  signal- 


280  MORTON. 

lantern.  Every  oar  was  most  vigorously  plied, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  headmost  boat  was 
greeted  with  "Boat  ahoy!"  from  Captain  Wil- 
liams— "  Albatross,"  was  the  reply,  and  the  boats 
dashed  up  to  the  lee  gangway  and  fore-chains. 

Isabella,  whose  buoyant  spirit  had  recovered  its 
spring  when  she  saw  the  danger  was  over,  was 
assisted  up  the  side  by  her  lover  and  two  or  three 
of  the  most  careful  men.  As  soon  as  Morton 
stepped  upon  deck,  he  was  caught  in  the  arms  of 
his  commander,  who  was  inarticulate  from  emo- 
tion. Morton,  quietly  disengaging  himself,  pre- 
sented his  fair  deliverer.  The  old  seaman  folded 
her  in.  his  arms,  and  kissing  her  cheek,  drew  her 
arm  under  his,  and  conducted  her  to  the  cabin, 
whither  they  were  followed  by  Morton. 

Under  the  superintendence  of  the  second  mate 
and  boatswain  the  boats  were  now  hoisted  up  and 
secured  ;  the  ship  wore  with  her  head  to  the  west- 
ward, all  sails  set,  and  hot  coffee,  beef,  bread, 
cheese,  &c.  provided  liberally  for  the  "  shore 
party ;"  after  which  the  watch  was  set,  the  deck 
"relieved"  by  Captain  Williams,  and  the  Alba- 
tross, with  her  white  winijs  expanded,  flew  ra- 
pidly on  her  course  before  a  fresh  easterly  breeze. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


Master,  let  me  take  you  a  button-hole  lower ;  do  you  not  see,  Pompey  is 
uncasing  for  the  combat  ?    What  mean  you  ?  you  will  lose  your  reputation. 

LOVE'S  LABOR'S  LOST. 


THE  rising  sun  the  next  day  beheld  the  good  ship 
Albatross,  under  the  impulse  of  a  very  gentle 
breeze,  gliding  towards  the  west ;  the  Andes,  over 
which  the  sun  was  darting  his  levelled  beams, 
were  distinctly  visible.  The  flapping  of  the  top- 
sails against  their  masts,  the  pattering  of  the  reef- 
points,  and  the  smoothness  of  the  water,  indicated 
an  approaching  calm. 

"  Go  aloft,  one  of  you,"  said  Morton,  who  was 
the  officer  of  the  morning  watch,  "  go  aloft,  and 
see  if  you  can  make  out  any  sail  astern  of  us  un- 
der the  land." 

The  seaman  who  obeyed  this  order,  after  roost- 
ing for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  on  the  main 
royal  yard,  came  down  and  reported  that  he  could 
see  nothing  ;  but  that  the  sun  shone  so  brightly  on 
the  water  that,  if  any  thing  was  within  the  range 
of  sight,  the  reflection  of  the  sunbeams  would  ren- 

24 


282  MORTON. 

der  it  invisible.  Morton  could  not  repress  a  vague 
apprehension  that  there  was  some  vessel  in  chace, 
though  it  would  have  sorely  puzzled  him  to  give 
his  whys  and  wherefores.  After  having  pointed 
his  glass  for  the  fiftieth  time  towards  the  eastern 
horizon,  without  seeing  any  thing  but  smooth 
water  and  the  dim,  blue,  cloudy-looking  moun- 
tains, the  man  at  the  wheel  notified  him  that  it 
was  "  eight  bells,"  or  eight  o'clock.  Having  gone 
below  to  compare  the  watch  in  the  cabin  with  the 
half-hour  glass  in  the  binnacle,  he  returned  to  the 
quarter-deck  and  called  out, 

"  Strike  the  bell  eight — call  the  watch." 

The  bell  was  struck,  and  one  of  the  watch  on 
deck,  after  a  preliminary  thumping  with  the  large 
end  of  a  handspike  upon  the  forecastle,  vociferated 
down  the  fore  scuttle, 

"  All  the  starboard  watch,  ahoy  !  Rouse  out 
there,  starbowlines — show  a  leg  or  an  arm  !" 

This  last  phrase  designates  the  manner  in  which 
"turning  out"  of  a  hammock  is  accomplished, 
which  hammock,  a  person  unacquainted  with  such 
kind  of  sleeping  accommodations,  would  never 
dream  contained  a  live  man,  until  one  or  the  other 
of  the  aforementioned  limbs  was  protruded.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  wheel  was  relieved,  and  the  crew 
were  clustering  around  the  galley  with  their  tin 
pots,  joking,  and  laughing,  and  shouting  "  scald- 
ings  !"  as  they  hurried  forward  with  their  respec- 
tive allowances  of  hot  coffee. 

In  the  mean  time  the  quarter-deck  received  an 


MORTON.  283 

accession  of  company.  Mr.  Walker  came  up  the 
companion-way,  gaping  and  rubbing  his  eyes,  and 
carrying  his  jacket  on  his  arm.  With  a  short 
"  good  morning !"  to  Morton  he  threw  his  jacket 
upon  the  hen-coop,  proceeded  to  the  lee  gangway, 
drew  a  bucket  of  water,  and  commenced  his  morn- 
ing's ablutions.  Captain  Williams  next  came  on 
deck,  and  immediately  looked  round  upon  the 
weather  with  a  troubled  and  disappointed  air,  for 
it  was  now  almost  quite  a  calm.  Mr.  Edwards 
and  Dr.  Bolton  followed  him — not  that  they  had 
any  business  on  deck,  or  cared  much  about  leaving 
the  cabin  or  their  respective  state-rooms  oftener 
than  was  necessary ;  but  it  is  not,  or  was  not,  in 
my  sea-going  days,  esteemed  genteel  for  passen- 
gers, or  any  other  "  idlers,"  to  stay  below  while 
the  steward  was  occupied  with  the  mystery  of 
arranging  the  breakfast-table.  Lastly,  and  to  the 
surprise  of  the  whole  company,  Isabella,  as  lovely 
as  the  morning,  and  dressed  in  the  proper  habili- 
ments of  her  sex,  ascended  the  companion-ladder. 
She  was  greeted  with  paternal  affection  by  the 
veteran  commander,  and  with  sparkling  eyes  and 
a  silent  pressure  of  the  hand  by  Morton.  She  re- 
ceived and  replied  to  their  congratulations  and 
compliments  with  crimsoned  cheeks  and  downcast 
eyes.  The  supercargo  and  doctor,  who  had,  with 
most  commendable  delicacy,  kept  out  of  the 
way  the  night  before,  were  now  introduced,  and 
after  a  few  minutes  of  general  conversation,  the 


884  MORTON. 

steward  informed  Captain  Williams  that  breakfast 
was  ready. 

The  whole  party,  with  the  exception  of  Mr. 
Walker,  who  was  now  in  his  turn  "  officer  of  the 
deck,"  accordingly  descended  to  the  cabin,  where 
they  found  the  table  covered  with  coffee  and  tea. 
minus  milk ;  cold  salt  beef,  cut  into  slices,  of  a 
thickness  that  would  horrify  a  whole  community 
of  fashionable  ladies  and  gentlemen,  allowing  that 
so  exceedingly  vulgar  an  article  of  "  prevent "  as 
salt  beef  did  not  previously  throw  them  into  hys- 
terics as  soon  as  presented  to  their  eyes,  but  which 
slices  seemed  to  have  been  cut  with  the  prospec- 
tive intention  of  filling  up  that  vacuum  that  Nature, 
as  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  her,  seems  to  abhor 
more  cordially  than  any  other  vacuum  whatever ; 
that  void  space,  I  mean,  that  is  apt  to  be  found  in 
a  healthy  human  stomach  after  a  twelve-hour's 
fast.  There  was  also  a  broiled  chicken  for  the 
express  use  and  behoof  of  their  fair  messmate  • 
fried  pork  and  potatoes  ;  a  large  dish  of  fried  fishr 
the  produce  of  a  fishing  excursion  the  afternoon 
preceding  ;  another  of  boiled  eggs  ;  a  third  com- 
posed of  pilot-bread,  soaked  in  hot  water,  toasted, 
and  buttered ;  biscuit,  butter,  and  cheese. 

Breakfast  proceeded  much  as  sea  breakfasts 
generally  do — that  is  to  say,  the  company  ate 
heartily  :  even  Isabella,  who  had  sufficient  excuse 
for  low  spirits  and  want  of  appetite,  yielded  to  the 
demands  of  hunger  the  most  unromantic,  and,  in 
vulgar  language,  "  spoilt  the  looks  "  of  the  broiled 


MORTON.  285 

fowl  before  her.  The  meal  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  when  the  steward  came  below  with  informa- 
tion, that  Mr.  Walker  had  seen,  from  the  main  top- 
mast head,  with  his  glass,  a  square-rigged  vessel 
right  astern,  and  coming  up  with  a  fresh  breeze. 
Captain  Williams  and  Morton  exchanged  looks  of 
intelligence,  but  said  nothing ;  their  fair  passenger, 
fortunately,  understood  not  a  word  of  the  steward's 
intelligence ;  and  the  merchant  and  doctor  were 
of  that  happy  and  enviable  description  of  men, 
who,  when  they  sit  down  to  a  well-furnished  table, 
seem  to  adopt,  with  a  slight  variation,  the  senti- 
ment of  the  poet, 

"  Par  from  my  thoughts,  vain  world,  begone,       »» 
And  let  my  '  eating'  hours  alone," 

The  two  seamen,  however  anxious  they  might 
feel,  finished  their  breakfast  very  composedly,  and 
went  on  deck  without  hurry ;  Morton  recommend- 
ing to  his  fair  deliverer  to  remain  below  for  some 
time.  In  half  an  hour  the  chace  was  distinctly 
visible  from  the  quarter-deck,  and  from  the  pecu- 
liar darkness  of  the  water  in  that  direction,  it  was 
evident  that  she  had  a  good  breeze.  It  was  then 
that  conjectures  as  to  the  character  of  the  stranger 
were  numerous,  wild,  and  contradictory ;  no  one 
thought  for  an  instant  that  it  was  the  Venganza, 
because  they  had  seen  her  the  day  before  with  her 
fore-yard  down  and  sent  on  shore — the  idea  that 
there  might  possibly  be  found  a  spare  spar  in  the 
dock-yard  that  would  answer  pro  tern,  never,  for 

24* 


286  MORTON. 

an  instant,  presenting  itself  to  their  minds.  A  few 
minutes  more,  however,  convinced  them  that  it 
was  indeed  that  "terrible  ship  with  a  terrible 
name ;"  and  orders  were  immediately  given  to 
prepare  for  action  as  silently  as  possible.  These 
orders  were  obeyed  with  joyous  alacrity.  A  feel- 
ing of  romantic  gratitude  to  their  lovely  passenger 
was  accompanied  by  a  most  chivalrous  determina- 
tion to  "  do  or  die"  in  her  defence,  and  these  senti- 
ments pervaded  the  whole  ship's  company.  Added 
to  this  exciting  cause  was  that  natural  propensity 
to  strife  that  Flora  Mac  Ivor  says  all  men  feel 
when  placed  in  opposition  to  each  other,  or,  as 
Titus  Livius  Patavinus  hath  it,  they  were  "  suopte 
ingenio  feroces." 

The  clews  of  the  topsails  were  lashed  to  the 
lower  yard-arms  ;  the  topsail-yards  slung  with 
iron  chains ;  round,  grape,  and  cannister  shot  got 
up  from  the  hold  ;  the  boarding-pikes  taken  down 
from  the  racks  and  laid  at  hand  ;  the  arm-chests 
unlocked,  and  their  murderous  contents  of  mus- 
kets, bayonets,  pistols,  cutlasses,  and  tomahawks 
or  pole-axes  produced  ;  powder-horns  and  flasks, 
for  priming  the  guns,  filled  and  placed  in  readiness ; 
rammers,  sponges,  and  priming-wires  distributed 
to  the  guns  ;  preventer  braces  rove,  and  stoppers 
for  the  rigging  sent  up  into  the  tops,  or  placed  in 
different  parts  of  the  deck.  The  carpenter  got 
ready  his  shot-plugs  and  top-maul ;  the  armorer 
examined  the  locks  of  the  fire-arms  ;  the  gunner 
paraded  his  wads,  and  opened  the  magazine  beneath 


MORTON.  287 

the  cabin  floor.  Morton,  to  whom  Captain  Wil- 
liams had  deputed  the  charge  of  the  two  females, 
descended  to  the  steerage,  attended  by  two  or  three 
seamen,  and  hauled  all  the  spare  sails  out  of  the 
sail-room,  with  which  he  formed  a  small  hollow 
coil  in  the  cable  tier.  These  sails,  being  formed 
into  long  hard  rolls  and  placed  upon  the  cables, 
formed  a  rampart  that,  from  its  non-elasticity, 
would  more  effectually  check  the  progress  of  a 
round  shot  than  a  greater  thickness  of  oak  plank. 

Having  finished  the  castle,  he  could  not  forbear 
passing  into  the  cabin  to  see  its  future  occupant. 
Isabella  received  him  with  a  blush  and  a  smile. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  noise  and 
bustle  overhead  ?"  said  she. 

"  There  is  a  strange  ship  in  sight,"  said  Morton, 
after  a  pause,  "  and  we  are  almost  sure  that  she 
has  hostile  intentions  towards  us."  Isabella  be- 
came pale  as  marble.  "  It  is,  in  short,  the  man-of- 
war  that  was  in  St.  Bias  when  we  left  there." 

"  Good  God  !"  said  the  young  lady,  clasping  her 
hands  in  agony,  "  what  will  become  of  us  V 

"  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  overcome  with 
causeless  alarm ;  we  shall,  if  possible,  run  away ; 
but  if  not,  we  must  resort  to  certain  arguments  to 
convince  her  commander  and  crew  of  the  impro- 
priety and  rudeness  of  their  interfering  in  an 
'  affair  that  does  not  concern  them." 

"  But  if  we  are  taken,  what  will  become  of  you  ?" 

"  I  suspect,  dearest  Isabella,  that  you  will  search 
in  vain  through  the  Albatross  to  find  a  single  per- 


t88  MORTON. 

son,  man  or  boy,  that  is  prepared  to  admit  the 
probability,  nay,  even  the  possibility,  of  such  a 
conclusion.  We  are  nominally  inferior,  but  in 
reality  superior,  to  our  antagonist.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  have  been  preparing  a  place  of  safety  for 
you  and  Transita,  where  it  is  next  to  impossible 
that  you  should  be  in  the  way  of  danger." 

"  Bat  you,"  said  she,  looking  at  him  with  tear- 
ful eyes. 

"  My  life,  my  sweet  girl,  is  in  the  hands  of  Him 
that  gave  it ;  and  to  His  watchful  care  and  bound- 
less goodness  I  cheerfully  and  confidingly  commit 
it." 

"  But  if  you  are  taken — such  a  thing  is  at  least 
possible." 

"Such  an  event  is,  as  you  say,  possible.  In 
that  case,  your  Mexican  friends  must  be  content 
to  work  their  revenge  upon  my  dead  body,  for  I 
am  determined  that  the  living  Charles  Morton 
shall  never  become  an  object  for  Spanish  ven- 
geance to  exhaust  its  ingenuity  upon.  But  I  must 
leave  you  for  the  present.  I  will  come  below 
again  in  a  few  minutes,  to  conduct  you  to  your 
citadel." 


CHAPTER    XX. 


Some  writers  make  all  ladies  purloined, 
And  knights  pursuing  like  a  whirlwind  ; 
But  those,  that  write  in  rhyme,  still  make 
The  one  verse  for  the  other's  sake. 


MORTON  and  his  companions  had  left  the  prison  a 
few  minutes  past  ten  o'clock.  It  was  nearly  one 
when  an  officer,  who  was  up  and  passing  through 
the  plaza  for  certain  good  reasons  best  known  to 
himself,  noticed,  as  he  approached  the  guard- 
house, that  there  was  an  unusual  degree  of  still- 
ness about  it ;  no  sentry  challenged  as  he  drew 
near,  and  indeed  there  seemed  to  be  none  on  post. 
Surprised  at  this,  he  entered  the  porch,  or  as  it  is 
called  in  New  England,  the  "/?ye-azza,"  where  he 
found  the  sentry  seated,  as  before  described,  and 
snoring  most  lustily.  Him  he  attempted  to  awaken 
by  a  very  summary  process  ;  namely,  by  tumbling 
him  from  his  seat  upon  the  ground  ;  but  so  stupi- 
fied  was  the  fellow  with  the  drugged  wine  that 
he  had  drank,  that  after  uttering  certain  unintelli- 
gible growlings,  he  again  slept  and  snored.  Pass- 
ing into  the  interior,  the  officer  found  the  corporal 
and  his  "  brave  compeers  "  as  sound  asleep  and  as 


S90  MORTON. 

motionless  as  the  enchanted  inhabitants  of  a  fairy 
castle.  After  bestowing  upon  them  several  sound 
and  hearty  kicks,  without  producing  any  vivifying 
effects,  he  perceived  that  the  door  of  the  inner 
room,  or  prison,  was  wide  open,  and  the  room 
itself  as  empty  as — an  author's  pockets.  On  fur- 
ther examination  he  found  a  basket,  the  remains 
of  food,  three  or  four  empty  bottles  and  drinking- 
cups,  one  or  two  full  bottles,  and  a  phial  contain- 
ing a  small  quantity  of  dark-colored  liquid,  with 
the  qualities  of  which  he  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  make  himself  acquainted  by  experiment  upon 
his  own  person ;  not  possessing  a  particle  of  the 
philosophical  courage  and  zeal  of  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy,  who  gulped  down  poisonous  gases  till  it 
became  a  matter  of  astonishment  and  mystery  to 
his  friends,  as  well  as  himself,  how  he  contrived 
to  find  his  way  back  into  this  world,  after  having 
strolled  so  far  beyond  its  limits.  The  phial,  how- 
ever ignorant  he  was  of  the  nature  of  its  contents, 
explained,  in  connection  with  the  empty  bottles, 
the  cause  of  the  death-like  sleep  of  the  guard. 

After  deliberating  for  an  extremely  short  space 
of  time  (for  when  a  man  has  nobody  near  to 
bother  him  with  advice,  he  makes  up  his  mind 
with  incredible  despatch),  he  concluded  that  there 
would  be  no  danger  in  leaving  the  guard-house 
just  as  he  found  it,  for  sundry  reasons ;  in  the 
first  place,  the  present  circumstances  had  probably 
existed  some  hours  ;  secondly,  as  there  was  no- 
thing there  for  the  guard  to  watch  over  but  the 


MORTON.  291 

empty  bottles,  &c.  said  guard  might  as  well  sleep 
as  be  awake ;  thirdly — but  by  this  time  he  was 
almost  at  his  excellency's  door,  and  it  was  hardly 
worth  while  to  follow  any  farther  a  line  of  reasons 
that  threatened  to  stretch  out  to  the  crack  of  day, 
if  not  of  doom.  After  abundance  of  vociferating 
and  thumping,  he  succeeded  in  rousing  the  go- 
vernor from  his  slumbers,  and  bringing  him  to 
the  window,  night-capped  and  night-gowned  "  pro- 
per," as  the  heralds  say.  His  excellency  was 
thunderstruck  at  the  intelligence,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  his  household  was  in  motion. 

His  two  daughters  had  no  sooner  learned  that 
the  prisoners  had  escaped,  than  they  hastened  to 
the  chamber  of  their  cousin,  Isabella,  to  commu- 
nicate the  joyful  intelligence.  To  their  surprise 
and  consternation  no  cousin  Isabella  was  to  be 
found ;  the  chamber  was  in  its  usual  state,  but  it 
was  immediately  obvious  that  the  bed  had  not  been 
pressed  that  night  by  its  lovely  occupant ;  one  or  two 
of  the  drawers  of  a  bureau,  in  which  she  had  for- 
merly kept  sundry  articles  of  clothing,  were  open 
and  empty ;  nor  was  this  all ;  the  doors  of  a  little 
book-case,  that  stood  upon  a  table  in  one  corner 
of  the  room,  and  that  formerly  contained  thirty  or 
forty  volumes,  were  also  open,  and  every  volume 
was  gone. 

This  circumstance,  \vbich  at  once  convinced 
the  t\vo  young  ladies  that  their  cousin  was  de- 
cidedly deranged  in  mind,  should  have  been  men- 
tioned and  explained  in  its  proper  place.  A  fort- 


J92  MORTON. 

night  previous  to  Morton's  capture,  Isabella  con- 
sented to  put  herself  under  his  protection,  and 
having  so  done,  retired  to  her  chamber  to  delibe- 
rate upon  the  how  and  the  what  she  should  take 
with  her.  Her  jewels,  that  had  been  left  her  by 
her  mother,  or  given  her  by  her  uncle  and  other 
relatives,  were  numerous,  costly,  and  easily  porta- 
able ;  but  jewels,  though  they  ornament  beauty, 
do  not  keep  it  warm.  Her  drawers  were  next 
opened,  and  sundry  indispensable  articles  of  dress 
were  selected  and  set  aside ;  but  while  she  hesi- 
tated between  certain  elegant  and  valuable  dresses 
and  others  more  ordinary,  that  her  natural  good 
sense  told  her  were  more  appropriate,  her  eyes 
rested  upon  a  volume  of  Milton  opened  at  the 
title-page,  on  which  was  written  her  mother's 
name  by  that  beloved  parent's  hand :  "My  dear  mo- 
ther's books !  how  could  I  think  of  leaving  them 
behind,  or  any  thing  that  was  ever  hers  !"  She 
closed  her  drawers  after  having  carelessly  thrown 
aside,  for  "sea-service,"  the  first  dresses  that  came 
to  hand — .her  whole  thoughts  occupied  in  devising 
means  to  save  what,  just  at  that  moment,  seemed 
of  vastly  superior  consequence.  The  books,  by 
Morton's  advice,  were  subsequently  carried,  two 
or  three  at  a  time,  to  Jnanita's  house,  and  thence 
by  him  conveyed  carefully  on  board  the  Albatross, 
and  safely  deposited  in  his  chest.  Having  se'ttled 
this  affair  so  much  to  her  satisfaction,  she  used  the 
same  means  to  transport  the  greater  part  of  her 
most  valuable  clothes  to  the  same  place,  till  the 


MORTON.  293 

unfortunate  capture  of  her  lover  made  it  necessary 
to  encumber  herself  and  attendant  with  the  re- 
mainder, upon  the  night  of  her  elopement  and 
their  escape. 

I  pride  myself  not  a  little  in  being  particular  in 
an  affair-  of  such  delicacy.  Some  writers  wake 
their  heroines  at  dead  of  night,  drag  them,  half 
drest,  out  of  a  third  story  chamber  window,  lead 
them  through  a  thousand  perils  by  flood,  fire,  and 
field,  till  the  mere  matter-of-fact,  common  sense 
reader  is  convinced  that  the  poor  girls  had  neither 
a  dry  thread  nor  a  clean  one  upon  their  persons ; 
and  no  "change  of  raiment"  so  much  as  hinted 
at.  I  scorn  so  ungallant  an  action  as  to  compel 
my  heroine  to  make  a  voyage  nearly  round  the 
world,  or  within  thirty  degrees  of  longitude  of  it, 
in  such  a  draggle-tailed  and  sluttish  condition  ; 
so  that  you  see,  madam,  I  have  made  this  digres- 
sion for  the  sole  purpose  of  setting  your  mind  at 
ease  on  the  score  of  Isabella's  gowns,  frocks,  hose, 
and  those  other  articles  of  the  "inner  temple" 
whose  names  I  dare  not  even  think  ofj  or  whose 
existence  it  would  be  impolite  and  indelicate  to 
hint  at. 

The  alarming  fact  of  his  niece's  absence  the 
governor  fortunately  did  not  learn  till  morning,  or 
rather  till  late  in  the  forenoon,  he  having  gone 
towards  the  guard-house  before  his  daughters  vi- 
sited their  cousin's  chamber.  When  arrived  there, 
Don  Gaspar  was  convinced,  by  examination  of 
the  phial,  that  the  soldiers  were  under  the  in- 

25 


294  MORTON. 

fluence  of  a  most  powerful  opiate  ;  and,  further- 
more, that  the  prisoners  had  obtained  that  opiate 
and  the  wine  that  it  was  administered  in,  from 
some  person  out  of  the  prison  who  had  access  to 
them  ;  and  he  immediately  vowed  vengeance  the 
most  signal  and  summary  against  the  traitor,  of- 
fering, at  the  same  time,  a  large  reward  for  his, 
her,  or  their  apprehension.  Alas,  poor  man  !  he 
did  not  know  that  the  traitor  was  of  his  own  kith 
and  kin,  his  own  beloved  niece. 

His  next  movement  was  to  send  an  officer  at 
full  gallop  to  the  Venganza,  or  rather  to  the  land- 
ing place,  commanding  her  captain  to  despatch 
boats  to  the  American  ship  in  the  outer  harbor, 
and  search  for  the  fugitives.  Don  Diego  Pinto, 
the  commander  of  the  Venganza,  who  had  ob- 
tained a  spare  fore  yard  from  the  dock-yard,  rigged 
and  swayed  it  aloft  the  night  that  he  came  in, 
instantly  concluded  that  the  escape  had  been  ef- 
fected by  the  American  captain,  and  that  the  Al- 
batross had  immediately  sailed.  Impressed  with 
this  idea,  he  weighed  anchor  forthwith,  and,  fa- 
vored by  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  land,  was  con- 
vinced by  eight  o'clock  that  morning  that  his 
conjecture  was  right. 

How  the  governor  bore  the  news  of  his  niece's 
elopement  we  have  never  been  able  precisely  to 
discover,  but  have  understood  vaguely  that  he 
displayed  infinitely  more  warm  and  tender  feelings 
than  he  had  heretofore  had  credit  for. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


There  was  an  ancient  sage  philosopher 
That  had  read  Alexander  Ross  over, 
And  swore  the  world,  as  he  could  prove, 
Was  made  of  righting  and  of  love. 
Just  so  romances  are,  for  what  els« 
Is  in  them  all  but  love  and  battles  ? 
O'  the  first  of  these  we've  no  great  matter 
To  treat  of,  but  a  world  o'  the  latter. 

HUDIBRAS. 


THE  breeze  that  brought  the  Venganza  within 
sight,  was  in  a  very  short  time  felt  likewise  by 
the  Albatross  ;  but  it  gradually  hauled  to  the 
southward,  thereby  giving  the  American  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  wind,  or  weather-gage.  Still  it 
was  evident  that  the  Spaniard  was  the  superior 
sailer,  and  that  he  might,  if  he  chose,  soon  be 
alongside  ;  but  he  seemed  to  be  aware  that  prepa- 
rations had  been  made  by  the  Yankee  commander 
and  his  crew  to  give  him  a  very  warm  reception. 
Accordingly  he  shortened  sail  and  tacked,  with 
the  hope  of  getting  to  windward  ;  but  in  this  he 
was  foiled  by  the  Albatross  tacking  also,  and,  in 


296  MORTON. 

spite  of  all  the  Spaniard's  manoeuvring,  retaining 
the  advantage  that  the  wind  gave  her. 

The  crew  of  the  American  were  all  this  time 
quietly  leaning  on  their  guns,  and  watching  the 
evolutions  of  their  antagonist :  and  commenting 
upon  every  movement  with  as  much  composure 
as  though  their  own  ship  was  lying  at  anchor  in 
a  friendly  port,  and  they  were  only  looking  at 
some  ship  beating  into  harbor. 

"  That  old  rattle-trap  of  a  gardy  coaster  works 
tolerably  well,  only  she's  a  month  of  Sundays 
swinging  her  head-yards,  and  getting  her  fore-tack 
down,"  said  one  of  the  seamen. 

"  You  may  well  say  that,"  said  another,  "  and 
the  same  of  his  main-yard  and  main-tack,  and  jib- 
sheet  to  boot." 

"  Well,  you  can't  blame  him  for  not  being  in  a 
hurry,"  said  the  boatswain,  "he  knows  what  he'll 
get  when  he  hooks'bn  to  the  old  Albatross.  When 
once  we  get  fairly  hold  on  him,  I  don't  ask  but 
half  an  hour  to  do  his  business  for  him :  fifteen 
minutes  to  knock  away  some  of  his  sticks,  and 
send  him  off  flanking,  and  fifteen  minutes  more  to 
secure  the  guns  and  clear  the  decks  up ;  and  by 
that  time  it  will  be  eight  bells,  and  then  we'll  have 
our  dinner  and  our  grog,  and  be  all  ready  to  make 
sail  on  our  course  again." 

"  There  she  goes  again  !  helm's  a-tiller,  jib- 
sheet's  a-rope,  and  round  she  comes  !" 

"  Ready  about !"  shouted  Captain  Williams,  and 
the  crew  flew  to  their  stations. 


MORTON.  297 

Both  vessels  were  now  heading  to  the  west- 
ward ;  the  Venganza,  by  superior  sailing  and  fre- 
quent tacking,  had  gained  considerably  to  wind- 
ward ;  and  it  was  evident  that  she  would  soon  be 
alongside,  though  to  leeward.  In  this  situation  of 
affairs,  Captain  Williams,  seeing  that  flight  was 
out  of  the  question,  called  all  hands  aft. 

"  Lie  aft  there  all  of  you,  hurry  aft  there,  men, 
at  once,"  repeated  the  boatswain,  adding,  in  a 
lower  tone,  "  the  old  man's  going  to  read  us  a 
page  out  of  Hamilton  Moore." 

The  men  being  all  assembled  upon  the  quarter- 
deck, Captain  Williams  advanced,  and  thus  ad- 
dressed them : 

"  Men,  you  see  that  fellow  yonder  that  is  fol- 
lowing on  after  us,  and  know  what  he  wants.  He 
sails  rather  better  than  we  do,  and  I  don't  see  how 
we're  going  to  get  rid  of  him ;  and  if  we  don't 
want  to  be  plagued  with  him  any  longer,  why  we 
must  fight  him,  that's  all.  I  don't  suppose  that 
you  will  fight  any  the  quicker  or  better  for  my 
making  a  speech  to  you,  but  I  want  you  should 
know  which  leg  you  stand  upon.  We  are  nothing 
but  a  merchantman,  and  I  don't  suppose  you  are 
bound  by  the  ship's  articles  to  fight  unless  you  see 
fit,  but  whether  we  fight  or  not,  our  fate  is  the 
same  ;  if  we  are  such  d — d  fools  as  to  let  that 
garlic-eating  scarecrow  make  a  prize  of  us  without 
firing  a  gun,  we  shall  be  sent  to  the  mines  for  life  ; 
but  if  we  will  only  stand  by  each  other,  I'll  be  bail 
that  we  give  him  something  that  he  can't  eat. 
25* 


298  MORTON. 

Now  if  you  are  all  agreeable  to  that,  say  so,  and 
give  three  cheers  for  the  honor  of  the  Yankee 
flag,  and  we'll  fix  his  flint  for  him  before  the  cook's 
dinner  is  ready." 

This  pertinent  harangue  was  received  with 
three  roaring  cheers,  which  were  distinctly  heard 
by  the  Spaniards,  who  were  thereby  convinced 
that  the  Americans  were  not  the  sort  of  men  to  be 
frightened  into  a  surrender ;  and  they,  the  Spa- 
niards that  is,  "  smelled  the  battle"  by  no  means 
"  afar  off,"  but,  on  the  contrary,  rather  nearer 
their  noses  than  was  altogether  agreeable. 

By  way  of  commentary  to  his  speech,  the  Yan- 
kee commander  called  to  the  steward  to  "  bring 
up  the  case  bottle,  &c.  and  the  molasses  jug,"  ob- 
serving, that  ;' although  he  knew  that  the  Alba- 
trosses didn't  require  any  Dutch  courage,  the  sun 
was  over  the  fore-yard,  and  it  was  grog  time  in  all 
Christian  countries." 

Jones,  who  by  virtue  of  his  office  was  always 
foremost  at  "  splicing  the  main-brace,"  having 
compounded  a  tolerably  stiff  tumbler  of  black- 
strap, turned  to  his  shipmates,  prefacing  with  the 
invariable  commencement  of  a  sailor's  toast, 

"  Here's  hoping  that  every  shot  we  fire  will 
make  work  for  the  doctor  or  carpenter." 

This  pithy  "  sentiment,"  as  it  would  be  called 
at  the  present  day,  was  received  with  vast  applause ; 
and,  having  finished  their  grog,  interspersed  with 
similar  toasts,  the  men  quietly  returned  to  their 
quarters. 


MORTON.  299 

During  this  scene  Morton  descended  to  the 
cabin  and  conducted  his  fair  charge  to  her  Gib- 
raltar in  the  steerage.  Isabella,  weeping  bitterly, 
clung  to  him,  and  Morton's  heart,  softened  by  the 
tears  of  one  whom  he  loved  so  tenderly,  seemed 
divested  of  all  the  elasticity  of  young  hope  and 
courage,  and  he  began  to  regard  the  possibility  of 
his  being  killed  or  taken  prisoner  as  a  probability  ; 
but  he  resisted  the  fast-coming  weakness,  and, 
pressing  her  to  his  bosom,  tore  himself  from  her 
arms,  and  hurried  upon  deck.  Isabella  was  at- 
tended and  consoled  in  her  retirement  by  her 
faithful  servant  Transita,  her  "  fidus  Achates." 

I  hope  my  fair  and  also  my  classical  readers  will 
pardon  me  for  giving  the  masculine  title  and  name 
of  a  hero  of  antiquity  to  a  lady's  maid  ;  but  I  could 
think  of  no  other.  History  has  immortalized 
Achates  as  a  single  friend,  and  Py lades  and  Ores- 
tes, and  Damon  and  Pythias,  as  pairs  of  attached 
and  inseparable  friends  ;  but,  alas  !  neither  ancient 
nor  modern  history  has  recorded  the  name  of  a 
single  female,  whose  friendship  was  sufficiently 
ardent  and  pure  to  become  proverbial.  Even  the 
Helena  and  Hermia  of  Shakspeare,  whose  friend- 
ship is  so  touchingly  described  by  one  of  them, 
were  not  only  imaginary  creations  of  the  poet's 
brain ;  but,  as  if  to  prove  the  impossibility  of  friend- 
ship existing  between  two  ladies,  he  has  made 
them  actually  pull  caps  in  the  very  first  act  of  the 
play  in  which  they  are  introduced. 


300  MORTON. 

By  this  time  the  Venganza  had  ranged  up  within 
speaking  distance,  and  hailed : 

"  Send  the  prisoners  that  you  brought  from  San 
Bias  on  board  my  ship." 

"  We  have  no  prisoners  here — we  are  all  free- 
men," was  the  answer. 

"  Send  your  first  officer  and  the  four  men  that 
were  with  him  on  board  this  ship,  or  I  will  fire 
into  you." 

"  Well,  I  guess,  then,  you'll  have  to  fire  ;  for  I 
can't  spare  either  officer  or  men,"  replied  Captain 
Williams  drily. 

"  I  repeat,  for  the  last  time,  give  up  those  men, 
or  I  will  fire." 

"  Come  after  them  yourself,  then."  roared  back 
the  irritated  Yankee,  losing  all  patience. 

u  D — n  my  buttons  !"  said  Jones,  from  the  mid- 
ship or  "  slaughter-house"  gun,  "  he'd  better  come 
aboard  starn  foremost,  then,  so  's  to  be  all  ready 
for  a  run." 

Don  Diego  Pinto,  the  commander  of  the  Ven- 
ganza, although  a  brave  man,  and  one  who  had 
"  done  the  state  some  service,"  by  no  means  liked 
the  aspect  of  affairs.  He  had  had  frequent  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  the  crew  of  the  Albatross,  and 
knew  that,  with  the  exception  of  Captain  Williams, 
there  was  not  a  man  on  board  over  forty  years  of 
age  ;  that  they  were  all  stout,  active,  powerful 
men,  warmly  attached  to  their  officers,  and  living 
in  perfect  harmony  with  each  other  ;  that  her  guns 
were  of  uniform  calibre — namely,  nine  pounders. 


MORTON.  301 

and  consequently  no  confusion  could  take  place 
respecting  cartridges  or  shot :  on  the  other  hand, 
he  was  a  Spaniard,  the  first  lieutenant  a  Portu- 
guese; and  the  second  a  Frenchman;  of  three 
different  nations,  and  three  different  dispositions, 
they  never  agreed :  he  knew,  too,  that  his  crew 
was  composed  of  a  few  Spaniards,  a  few  Portu- 
guese, and  the  rest  Chilians,  Peruvians,  and  Mexi- 
cans, negroes,  mulattoes,  and  Indians,  quarrelling 
and  stabbing  from  morning  till  night ;  that  his 
guns  were  of  all  sorts,  from  twelve  to  four  pound- 
ers inclusive  ;  that,  although  he  numbered  eighty 
on  board  his  ship,  thirty  well-armed  men  from  the 
Albatross  would  take  his  ship  from  him  in  less 
than  five  minutes,  if  they  were  thrown  upon  his 
deck  during  the  action.  Under  all  these  circum- 
stances, he  felt  somewhat  loth  to  commence  opera- 
tions, till,  after  considerable  time  had  elapsed  since 
Captain  Williams's  last  angry  reply,  he  took  heart 
of  grace,  and  opened  an  irregular  and  harmless 
fire. 

"  Thank  God  !  he  has  spoken  at  last,','  said  old 
Jones  ;  "  I  was  afraid  he  meant  to  keep  us  stand- 
ing here,  like  mum-chance  in  a  picture-shop,  till 
seven  bells  in  the  afternoon  with  our  hands  in  our 
pockets." 

"  Keep  fast  every  thing,"  shouted  the  American 
Captain  ;  "  don't  fire  yet." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  the  captains  of  the  guns 
with  perfect  composure. 

"  Jemmy  Bush,"  said  the  boatswain  to  one  of  his 


50«  MORTON. 

gun's  crew,  as  he  squinted  along  its  side,  "  I'll  bet 
you  as  much  as  you  and  I  can  drink,  the  first  port 
we  get  into,  that  I  hit  that  fellow's  foremast  the 
first  shot." 

"  The  devil  thank  you,"  said  the  tar ;  "  'tis  n't 
twenty  yards  from  the  muzzle  of  your  gun." 

"  Starboard  your  helm — keep  her  away  a  little," 
said  Captain  Williams ;  "  stand  by — now's  your 
time— fire  !— luff !  luff  again  !" 

"  Luff  it  is,  sir,"  said  the  helmsman  very  delibe- 
rately. 

The  double-shotted  broadside  of  the  Albatross 
was  followed  by  three  thundering  cheers.  Her 
fire,  although  not  exactly  a  raking  one,  had  crossed 
the  Spaniard's  deck  very  obliquely,  and  the  smoke 
blowing  off  immediately,  gave  the  Americans  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  some  of  the  effects  of  their 
shot.  Two  of  the  Venganza's  foremost  guns  had 
been  dismounted,  and  all  the  men  stationed  at  them 
killed  or  wounded  ;  there  were  huge  gaps  in  her 
bulwarks ;  several  of  her  weather  fore-shrouds 
were  shot  away ;  and  about  ten  feet  from  the  deck 
there  appeared  upon  the  side  of  her  foremast  a 
large  hole,  caused  by  two  or  more  shot  striking 
nearly  in  the  same  place,  and  tearing  off  large 
splinters.  There  was  silence  for  a  few  seconds, 
interrupted  only,  on  board  the  Albatross,  by  the 
punching  and  thumping  of  rammers,  as  her  crew 
were  busily  reloading  their  guns. 

Mr.  Walker,  with  the  doctor  and  supercargo,  all 
capital  shots,  constituted  the  marines  or  small-arm 


MORTON.  303 

men  of  the  ship.  The  doctor  was  not,  however, 
unmindful  of  his  medical  duties ;  for  he  had  pre- 
pared a  place  between  decks,  down  the  fore  hatch- 
way, where  he  had  paraded  his  medicine-chest, 
instruments,  and  dressings  ;  and,  leaving  them  in 
charge  of  the  cook,  who  acted  as  surgeon's  mate 
pro  tern.,  he  went  on  deck  with  his  rifle,  and  was 
seen  on  the  quarter-deck,  with  a  case  of  pocket 
instruments  tucked  into  the  bosom  of  his  jacket, 
loading,  and  firing,  and  bringing  down  a  Spaniard 
at  every  discharge  ;  for,  like  Apollo  of  old,  who  is 
represented  as  a  good  shot  as  well  as  a  good  doc- 
tor, he  could  send  an  enemy  to  his  long  home  with 
a  rifle-ball,  or  physic  a  friend  with  such  success 
as  might  thereafter  ensue  : 

"  Mighty  he  was  at  both  of  these, 
And  styled  of  war  as  well  as  peace." 

It  has  never  been  our  lot  to  take  part  in  a  naval 
engagement  as  an  agent,  and  we  are  thankful  for 
it ;  for  we  are  convinced,  upon  strong  internal 
evidence,  of  our  cowardice  ;  but  we  have  been 
present  at  sundry  such  actions,  at  a  safe  distance, 
as  a  spectator ;  and,  from  what  we  saw,  we  can 
venture  to  assure  our  readers,  that,  when  two  ships 
or  fleets  are  exchanging  their  iron  salutations, 
whether  at  long  shot  or  close  quarters,  there  is 
nothing  peculiarly  interesting  to  a  mere  spectator 
in  the  scene. 

Isabella  and  her  attendant  had,  all  this  time, 
remained  quiet,  but  dreadfully  frightened  as  soon 


304  M  O  R  T  O  X . 

as  the  firing  commenced.  Finding,  after  the  lapse 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  that  no  danger  had 
as  yet  come  near  them,  they  became  more  com- 
posed ;  the  former  most  earnestly  and  sincerely 
imploring  Divine  protection,  both  for  herself  and 
for  those  who  were  exposed  to  danger  for  her  sake. 
Still  she  could  not  avoid  listening  eagerly  to  every 
voice  that  was  to  be  heard  in  the  short  intervals  of 
comparative  stillness. 

The  action  had  been  now  carried  on  between 
the  two  vessels  nearly  half  an  hour,  at  a  distance 
of  about  forty  yards,  when  a  twelve-pound  shot 
passed  through  the  Albatross's  larboard  quarter, 
and,  encountering  the  steward's  pantry  in  its  pro- 
gress, made  such  a  fearful  jingling  with  the 
crockery  ware,  tin  cofiee-pots,  and  earthen  jugs, 
that,  overcome  with  extreme  terror,  both  females 
left  their  city  of  refuge,  and  ran  hastily  up  the 
after-hatchway  ladder,  and  presented  themselves 
on  the  quarter-deck.  Just  as  they  reached  the 
deck,  a  shower  of  grape-shot  flew  whistling  across 
the  ship,  one  of  which,  passing  through  the  ham- 
mock-nettings, struck  a  seaman  in  the  forehead, 
and  scattered  his  blood  and  brains  in  all  directions. 
He  reeled  backwards  two  or  three  yards,  and  fell 
dead  at  Isabella's  feet.  Captain  Williams  imme- 
diately drew  her  away  from  the  ghastly  spectacle, 
and  gave  orders  to  carry  the  body  forward  on  the 
other  side  of  the  deck.  He  then  attempted  to  pre- 
vail upon  her  to  go  below ;  but  she  was  too  much 
terrified  to  listen  to  him,  nor  did  she  seem  to  un- 


MORTON.  305 

derstand  him.  After  a  minute- or  two,  she  became 
more  composed,  and  eagerly  inquired  for  Morton. 
Being  informed  that  he  was  on  the  forecastle  and 
unhurt,  and  doing  his  duty  like  a  brave  man  and 
a  good  seaman,  she  expressed  the  most  lively  gra- 
titude to  Heaven,  and  permitted  Captain  Williams 
to  conduct  her  to  the  starboard  side,  which  was 
farthest  from  the  enemy,  and  in  great  measure 
sheltered  from  shot  by  the  long-boat  and  by  the 
spare  spars,  &c.  stowed  amidships. 

By  this  time  the  crew  of  the  Venganza,  as  is 
often  the  case  with  cowards  when  driven  to  des- 
peration, had  become  perfectly  frantic,  and  also 
mutinous.  With  furious  execrations,  they  com- 
pelled Captain  Pinto  to  make  a  desperate  attempt 
to  board  the  American  ship,  and  decide  the  action. 
For  this  purpose  the  helm  of  the  guard a-costa  was 
put  hard  down,  and  she  immediately  ran  on  board 
the  Albatross,  her  bowsprit  passing  over  that  ship's 
larboard  gangway,  and  coming  in  contact  with  the 
fore  part  of  her  mainmast,  to  which  it  was  in- 
stantly lashed  firmly  by  Mr.  Walker,  Jones,  and 
two  or  three  of  the  nearest  seamen.  In  this  state 
she  was  exposed  to  a  murderous  raking  fire  of 
grape  and  cannister  shot,  from  such  of  the  Alba- 
tross's guns  as  could  be  brought  to  bear  upon  her. 
Notwithstanding  this,  the  Spaniards  mustered  in 
considerable  force  upon  and  about  the  heel  of  the 
bowsprit  and  cat-heads,  armed  with  pistols,  knives, 
and  cutlasses.  The  Americans  caught  up  their 
ten-foot  boarding-pikes,  and  presented  an  impene- 


306  MORTON. 

trable  hedge  of  steel  points ;  but,  although  his 
crew  was  fearfully  thinned  by  a  well  directed  dis- 
charge of  canister-shot  and  bags  of  musket-balls 
from  the  two  midship  guns  of  the  Albatross,  Cap- 
tain Pinto,  at  the  head  of  about  fifty  men,  the  sole 
remnant  of  the  original  eighty,  persisted  in  his 
attempt  to  board  ;  and  five  or  six  of  the  most  des- 
perate actually  "  effected  a  lodgement,"  as  milita- 
rists call  it,  in  the  main  shrouds,  where  they  were 
instantaneously  transfixed  by  the  long  pikes  of  the 
Yankees,  and  fell  shrieking  into  the  water.  At 
this  moment  the  doctor,  who  had  hitherto  been 
engaged  in  dressing  the  hurts  of  the  few  wounded 
that  thought  proper  to  visit  him  in  his  temporary 
cockpit,  hearing  the  bustle,  caught  up  his  rifle,  and 
hastened  to  the  other  field  of  his  usefulness. 

"  Here,  doctor,  doctor  !"  shouted  old  Jones  as 
soon  as  he  saw  him,  "  here's  a  chance  for  you  ! 
here's  the  Spanish  skipper  looking  as  savage  as  a 
Yankee  meat-axe — Gad  !  if  you  don't  bear  a  hand, 
he'll  cut  his  own  throats,  for  want  of  some  of  ours." 

"  Where,  where  ?"  said  the  knight  of  the  pill- 
box, skipping  upon  a  gun. 

"  There,  that  notomy-looking  thief  with  a  sword 
two  fathom  long  in  his  fist.  Give  him  a  blue  pill, 
doctor  ;  he  looks  as  though  he  was  billy-us." 

The  doctor  raised  his  rifle — and  Captain  Diego 
Pinto,  commander  in  his  Most  Catholic  Majesty's 
navy,  slept  with  his  fathers. 

A  heavier  sea  than  ordinary,  a  moment  after 
this,  lifted  the  Albatross,  and  forced  her  ahead  : 


MORTON.  307 

the  bowsprit  of  her  antagonist  snapped  close  to 
the  knight-heads  ;  but,  being  held  by  the  lashing, 
the  guarda-costa  was  towed  along,  till  a  blow  or 
two  of  a  pole-axe  severed  the  rope  that  connected 
the  two  vessels,  and  she  dropped  astern.  The 
desperate  and  frantic  courage  of  the  Spaniards 
died  with  their  commander  ;  their  first  lieutenant 
had  received  a  sligh  t  splinter-wound  in  the  foot  at  the 
first  fire  of  the  Albatross,  in  consequence  of  which 
he  went  below,  and  had  not  been  seen  on  deck 
since  ;  the  second  lieutenant's  orders  were  not 
attended  to  ;  and  all  was  anarchy  and  confusion 
on  board.  A  few  minutes  after  she  drifted  from 
the  Albatross,'  her  foremast,  already  badly  crippled 
and  no  longer  supported  by  the  bowsprit,  fell  over 
the  larboard  bow,  dragging  down  with  it  the  main 
topmast.  At  this  the  Yankees  cheered.  The  Alba- 
tross soon  after  wore  ship,  and  stood  to  the  west- 
ward. Upon  mustering  the  crew,  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  but  one  man  was  killed,  and  eight 
more  or  less  wounded  ;  her  sails  and  rigging  were 
much  cut  up  ;  and  the  services  of  all  hands  were 
immediately  put  in  requisition,  to  repair  damages, 
and  put  the  ship  in  condition  to  proceed  on  her 
voyage. 

The  first  intelligence  of  the  victory  was  con- 
veyed to  Isabella  by  Morton  himself.  As  he  ap- 
proached her  place  of  refuge  with  his  head  bound 
up  with  a  bloody  handkerchief,  having  received 
a  slight  wound  in  the  left  temple  from  a  splinter, 
she  uttered  a  scream  of  terror,  and  it  was  long 


308  MORTON. 

before  she  could  be  convinced  that  the  wound  was 
trifling.  As  lady  passengers  are  of  no  great  use 
on  deck  when  the  ship's  sails  and  rigging  are 
hanging  about  her  ears,  she  was  conducted  once 
more  below. 

In  the  mean  time  Jones,  as  he  trudged  back- 
wards and  forwards,  thought  he  saw  something 
amiss  about  the  galley,  which  he  entered,  and  a 
moment  after  backed  out,  exclaiming, 

"D — n  my  two-and-twenty  top-lights !  if  this 
here  does  n't  beat  all  my  going  down  east !" 

"  What's  the  matter,  Jones  ?  what  are  you 
swearing  about  now  ?" 

"  Swearing  ?  it's  enough  to  make  a  minister  pull 
off  his  wig,  and  rip  right  out  in  the  middle  of  his 
sarmont !" 

"  Well,  what  is  the  matter  T 

"Matter?  why  d — n  my  old  shoes,  Captain 
Williams,  here  is  one  of  that  bloody  Don  Dego's 
shot  gone  right  through  the  galley-door,  and 
through  the  side  of  the  big  copper,  and  knocked 
all  the  beef  and  hot  water  galley-west.  By  the 
piper  that  played  before  Moses  when  the  children 
of  Israel  danced  through  the  wilderness,  I  never 
see  such  a  thing  since  I  first  went  to  sea,  and  I've 
seen  shot  fired  afore  to-day.  And  here's  my  two 
sweet  potatoes,"  he  continued,  groping  in  the  cop- 
pers with  the  cook's  ladle,  "  that  I  popped  in  just 
as  that  fellow  come  along-side,  all  knocked  to 
pieces.  Here  he  is,  d — n  his  eyes  !"  holding  out 
a  twelve-pound  shot  in  his  ladle:  "here's  the 


MORTON.  309 

thundering  thief  that's  spoilt  our  dinner,  Captain 
Williams,  stowed  away  in  the  bottom  of  the  cop- 
per, as  snug  as  a  flea  in  a  soger's  blanket.  The 
curse  of  the  twelve  geese  that  eat  the  grass  off  o' 
Solomon's  grave  upon  you  !"  With  these  words  he 
threw  the  shot  overboard,  and  turned  to  Captain 
Williams  with  a  most  rueful  countenance. 

"  Well,  Jones,  it's  devilish  unlucky  I  own,  but  I 
guess  we  can  make  out  a  dinner  for  to-day,  and 
perhaps  the  armorer  can  patch  it  so  that  it  will 
answer  till  we  can  get  to  Canton," 

"  I  hope  so,  sir,"  said  Jones,  with  a  deep  sigh  ; 
"for  if  we  don't  have  our  reg'lar-cooked  grub, 
we'll  all  get  the  scurvy,  as  sure  as  the  devil's  in 
London  ;  though  for  that  matter,  I've  been  pretty 
much  all  over  Lunnun,  and  never  see  nor  heard 
nothin'  on  him,  unless  so  be  he's  in  the  Tower,  or 
the  king's  palace,  or  some  one  of  them  thunderin' 
great  churches ;  and  I've  seen  about  all  there 
was  to  be  seen  there,  unless  it  may  be  them  three 
places.  But  in  my  way  of  thinking,  a  ship  might 
a  d — d  sight  better  go  to  sea  without  a  medicine- 
chist,  than  without  her  proper  cooking-utensils 
and  coppers ;  because  why  ?  if  a  man  don't  get 
his  reg'lar  grub,  his  bowels  gets  out  o'  trim,  and 
he  gets  belly-us,  as  our  doctor  calls  it." 

"Well,  well,  if  we  can't  do  any  better,  we'll 
burn  out  the  big  pitch-pot,  and  make  a  shift  with 
that  till  we  arrive  in  China." 

"  Aye,  that  indeed,  so  we  can.  By  the  hook- 
block !  how  our  two  snow-balls  of  cooks  will 

26* 


310  MORTON. 

swear !  Well,  thank  God  for  every  thing  but 
bread,  and  that  we  get  o'  the  baker."  So  saying, 
he  rolled  off  towards  the  forecastle,  to  superintend 
the  knotting  of  one  of  the  fore  shrouds,  that  had 
been  shot  away  in  the  engagement, 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


But  now,  t'  observe  romantic  method, 
Let  bloody  steel  awhile  be  sheathed  ; 
And  all  those  harsh  and  rugged  sounds 
Of  bastinadoes,  cuts,  and  wounds, 
Exchanged  to  Love's  more  gentle  style, 
To  let  our  reader  breathe  awhile. 


THE  damages  done  on  board  the  Albatross  were 
all  repaired  before  sunset  ;  the  dead  body  of  the 
poor  fellow  that  was  killed  was  committed  to  its 
watery  tomb  with  becoming  solemnity,  and  by  the 
next  morning  the  northeast  trade-wind  was  blow- 
ing fresh  and  steady,  and,  as  it  usually  does  in 
both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  from  almost  due 
east.  The  ship,  with  booms  rigged  out  and  stud- 
ding-sails set  on  both  sides,  dashed  swiftly  towards 
the  west,  rolling  almost  gunwales  under  at  every 
motion,  and  initiating  the  two  females  into  all  the 
mysteries  of  sea-sickness.  However,  in  two  or 
three  days  the  sea,  that  is  always  heaviest  near 
the  land,  subsided  into  the  long,  regular  undula- 
tion peculiar  to  the  ocean,  properly  so  called,  and 
Isabella  recovered  from  her  sea-sickness,  and,  by 
keeping  as  much  as  possible  in  the  open  air,  and 


318  MORTON. 

walking  the  deck  almost  constantly,  assisted  at 
first  by  the  arm  of  some  one  of  the  gentlemen, 
soon  got  her  sea-legs  on. 

I  would  substitute  some  other  phrase,  if,  by  so 
doing,  I  could  make  myself  intelligible ;  but  as  the 
case  is,  it  is  impossible  to  mince  the  matter — 
fashion  has  not  yet,  thank  God,  invaded  the 
"  Dictionary  of  Sea-Terms  ;"  and  ladies,  when  off 
soundings,  must  still  be  content  to  have  "legs" 
like  other  folks — on  shore  they  may  vote  it  inde- 
cent to  have  even  "ankles,"  for  aught  I  care. 

Captain  Williams,  having  neither  missionaries 
nor  tracts  on  board,  did  not  stop  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  nor  did  he  even  pass  within  sight  of  them ; 
but  holding  on  his  course,  on  the  fortieth  day  after 
leaving  St.  Bias,  he  saw  Cape  Espiritu  Santo,  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  island  of  Lugonia,  or 
Lucon,  one  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  Passing 
through  the  Straits  of  Samar,  he  changed  his 
course  to  the  northward  and  westward,  and  steered 
for  Macao,  where  he  arrived  six  days  afterwards. 

The  passage  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  afforded 
the  two  lovers  numerous  moonlight  quarter-deck 
walks.  Morton,  as  first  officer,  had  the  first  watch, 
from  eight  to  twelve,  every  other  night,  and  on 
these  occasions  was  invariably  accompanied  by 
his  fair  bride  elect,  who,  wrapped  in  a  cloak  or 
great  coat,  walked  the  deck  leaning  upon  his  arm  ; 
or,  seated  upon  the  hen-coop,  listened  with  interest 
to  his  descriptions  of  American,  or,  more  properly, 
New  England,  scenery,  manners,  and  history;  or 


MORTON,  31$ 

gazed  upon  that  lovely  object,  a  moon-lit  ocean  in 
fine  weather. 

There  is  something1  peculiarly  soothing  in  this 
scene — something  in  the  soft  light  of  the  heavens, 
and  in  the  dark  and  dimly-seen  ocean,  that  induces 
a  pleasing  melancholy,  a  pensive  tranquillity;  the 
low,  gentle  murmuring  of  the  waves  calms  the 
mind,  tranquillizes  its  angry  passions  and  bois- 
terous feelings,  and  brings  on  those  dreamy  reve- 
ries that  contemplative  people  are  so  fond  of  in- 
dulging. It  is  then,  when  the  "  grim-visaged " 
ocean  has  "  smoothed  his  wrinkled  front," — when 
the  winds  of  heaven  a're  hushed  to  gentle  airs, 
and  the  cloudless  moon  looks  down  upon  the 
scene,  tipping  the  crests  of  the  lazy  waves  with 
silver, — that  the  memory  and  imagination  of  the 
wanderer  are  busy ;  it  is  then  that  the  scenes  of 
childhood  and  of  manhood — the  forms  of  friends, 
more  loved  because  sundered  from  them  by  thou- 
sands of  miles  of  water  and  land — all  rise  before 
him  in  original  freshness  and  beauty. 

Isabella  also  proposed  to  her  lover  to  accompany 
him  in  his  middle  watch — that  is,  from  midnight 
to  four  in  the  morning — but  I  grieve  to  say,  that 
she  proved  worse  on  these  occasions  than  an  old 
man-of  war's  man,  not  only  "standing  two  calls," 
but,  in  fact,  not  "  turning  out "  at  all.  She  made 
some  amends,  however,  by  coming  on  deck  at  four 
o'clock  frequently,  to  witness  that  splendid  specta- 
cle, sunrise  at  sea,  which  is  particularly  glorious 
between  the  tropics,  not  only  on  account  of  the 


314  MORTON. 

extreme  purity  of  the  air,  but  from  the  shortness 
of  the  morning  twilight ;  the  sun  rushing  so  sud- 
denly from  his  salt  water  couch,  as  to  come  "with- 
in one"  of  catching  the  stars  napping. 

On  arriving  at  Macao,  Isabella  was  doomed  to 
undergo  another  separation  from  her  beloved  Mor- 
ton, whose  qualities  of  head  and  heart  she  had 
had  sufficient  opportunities  of  studying  and  appre- 
ciating during  the  voyage  from  Mexico,  and  in 
the  daily  and  familiar  intercourse  of  a  merchant- 
ship's  cabin.  As  the  Chinese  eschew  the  society 
of  foreign  women  even  more  rigorously  than  the 
children  of  Israel  did  that  of  "  strange  "  ones — 
and,  taking  this  notion  of  theirs  "by  and  large" 
in  connection  with  their  laws,  and  manners,  and 
tastes,  we  think  they  are  perfectly  right — Isabella 
was  consequently  landed  at  Macao,  and  placed  in 
the  care  of  a  venerable  and  highly  respectable 
Portuguese  family,  and  after  having  arranged  the 
means  of  as  regular  a  correspondence  as  could  be 
carried  on  in  that  country,  where  there  are  not 
quite  so  many  mail-coaches  and  post-offices  as  with 
us,  she  saw  with  tearful  eyes  the  whaleboat  "shove 
off,"  containing  in  its  stern-sheets  Morton,  a  Chi- 
nese custom-house  mandarin,  two  Chinese  pigs,  a 
hind-quarter  of  Chinese  beef,  a  Chinese  river  pilot, 
and  sundry  baskets  of  Chinese  fowls  and  vege- 
tables. 

Macao  is  beautifully  situated  upon  a  small  isl- 
and, near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tigris,  com- 
manding a  fine  view  towards  the  sea,  and  was. 


MORTON.  315 

when  I  had  the  fortune  to  visit  it,  very  clean  and 
neat  in  its  streets  and  the  external  condition  of  its 
houses — a  circumstance  the  more  remarkable,  as 
its  inhabitants  are  Portuguese  and  Chinese,  two  of 
the  dirtiest  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth :  to 
these,  of  course,  numerous  other  nations  and  parts 
of  nations  may  be  added  ;  and  among  them,  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  aristocratic  and  fastidious 
English,  who  prefer  spitting  in  their  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs instead  of  the  fire-place  or  the  street ;  all 
the  Spaniards ;  all  the  French  in  their  houses,  and 
food,  and  furniture;  all  the  Dutch  in  their  per- 
sons ;  fill  the  Russians  in  every  thing ;  nearly  all 
the  Irish  and  Scotch ;  and  a  very  respectable  mo- 
dicum of  my  beloved  countrymen,  the  Yankees, 
together  with  the  greater  part  of  the  natives  of  the 
southern  states,  who,  being  nursed,  brought  up, 
and  associating  with  negro  slaves  from  the  cradle 
to  the  grave,  smell  dirty,  if  they  are  not. 
.  After  an  absence  of  about  six  weeks,  Isabella 
one  morning  received  a  letter  from  Canton,  in- 
forming her  that  the  ship  would  commence  "work- 
ing" down  the  river  that  day,  or,  according  to  the 
date  of  the  letter,  two  days  previous,  and  that  she 
would  be  off  Macao  on  the  second  or  third  day 
from  said  date.  Accordingly  she  made  all  neces- 
sary preparations  for  another  and  much  longer 
voyage,  and  after  dinner  walked  down  to  the  wa- 
ter-side, accompanied  by  her  Portuguese  friends. 
They  had  been  on  the  look-out  for  nearly  half  an 


316  MORTON. 

hour,  when  a  large  ship  hove  in  sight,  evidently 
from  Canton. 

As  she  approached,  steering  apparently  direct 
for  the  town,  she  suddenly  tacked  and  stood  out 
to  sea,  or  directly  away  from  it.  The  party  had 
already  made  out  with  their  glasses  that  the  ship 
was  indeed  the  Albatross  ;  but  poor  Isabella,  who 
had  seen,  on  her  passage  from  Mexico,  nothing 
but  fair  winds,  was  exceedingly  distressed  by  this 
last  unintelligible  manoBiivre.  Were  they  actually 
going  away  without  her? — the  thought  was  agony. 
The  ship,  that  was  but  four  miles  off  when  first 
seen,  was  now  at  least  eight,  and  her  hull  was  fast 
sinking  below  the  line  of  direct  vision.  Her  com- 
panions, who  had  hitherto  been  occupied  in  silently 
admiring  that  most  splendid  effort  of  human  genius, 
a  ship  under  full  sail,  were  suddenly  startled  by 
an  exclamation  betokening  extreme  anguish  from 
their  lovely  friend — "  They  have  gone  !  they  have 
gone !"  sobbed  the  unhappy  girl.  The  most  affec- 
tionate kindness,  and  the  most  earnest  assurances 
that  the  apparently  unaccountable  movement  of 
the  ship  was  no  more  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary from  the  direction  of  the  wind,  were  equally 
lost  upon  her — she  "would  not  be  comforted." 
In  a  few  minutes  the  Albatross  hove  in  stays  (you 
need  not  hold  your  fan  to  your  face,  madam),  and 
seemed  to  approach  the  shore  as  rapidly  as  she 
had  before  receded  from  it. 

"Look  up,  my  dear  child,"  said  M.  de  Silva: 


MORTON.  317 

"  see,  your  ship  is  flying  in,  and  will  soon  be  safely 
at  anchor." 

Isabella  raised  her  head  from  the  shoulder  of 
Madam  de  Silva,  and  applying  the  glass  to  her 
tear-dimmed  eye,  was  convinced  of  the  folly  of  her 
grief.  They  sat  down  to  watch  the  gallant  ship 
as  she  rapidly  approached  the  "  roads."  Before 
the  sun  was  hid  behind  the  hills  in  the  rear  of  the 
town,  they  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Alba- 
tross commence  reducing  her  sails  ;  presently  the 
topsails  were  clewed  up,  and  the  jib  hauled -down, 
the  ship  "rounded  to,"  her  anchor  let  go,  and 
in  a  moment  the  men  were  seen  clustering  upon 
the  lower  and  topsail  yards.  A  minute  or  two 
afterwards  Isabella  plainly  distinguished,  by  the 
help  of  her  glass,  the  well-known  whale-boat 
sweeping  round  the  ship's  stern,  and  rowing 
swiftly  towards  the  shore.  A  deep  blush  an- 
nounced that  the  glass  had  also  informed  her  who 
was,  in  midshipman's  language,  the  "  sitter,"  the 
person  in  the  stern-sheets,  to  wit,  and  she  imme- 
diately proposed  returning  to  the  house.  Morton, 
on  landing,  informed  her  that  the  ship  would  get 
under  weigh  the  next,  morning  at  day-break,  and 
that  it  would  be  most  advisable,  as  the  ship  could 
approach  no  nearer  than  five  miles  to  the  town 
when  beating  out  of  the  bay,  to  go  on  board  as 
soon  as  possible  that  evening,  to  which  she,  of 
course,  assented,  and,  having  taken  an  affection- 
ate leave  of  her  Macao  friends,  who  insisted  upon 
supplying  her  with  "sea-stores"  enough  to  fit 
27 


318  MORTON. 

out  half  a  dozen  sail  of  Liverpool  packets,  she 
accompanied  Morton  to  the  boat. 

The  next  morning  at  day-break  she  was  startled 
from  her  slumbers  by  the  clanking  of  the  windlass- 
pauls,  the  voices  of  the  officers,  and  the  tramp  of 
feet  over  her  head  ;  and,  in  a  few  minutes  after, 
the  rushing  of  the  water  under  the  cabin  windows, 
and  the  "  heeling"  of  the  ship,  announced  that 
they  were  under  weigh,  and  dashing  out  to  sea 
with  a  fresh  breeze.  The  passage  home  was,  like 
most  passages  from  the  East  Indies  and  China, 
rather  monotonous  from  the  long  continuance  of 
fair  winds.  Isabella  gazed  with  delight  upon  the 
unrivalled  scenery  of  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  where 
spring,  summer,  and  autumn  reign  perpetually  in 
a  sort  of  triumvirate  ;  the  samej field,  nay,  in  some 
cases,  the  same  tree,  presenting,  at  one  and  the 
same  time,  blossoms,  green  fruit,  and  ripe  fruit : 
infancy,  maturity,  and  decay.  She  saw,  too,  in 
the  night  the  volcano  on  the  Island  of  Bourbon, 
afterwards  False  Cape  and  Table  Mountain,  but 
not  the  Flying  Dutchman,  the  weather  being  un- 
fortunately too  fine  to  induce  him  to  put  to  sea. 
Next  came  St.  Helena,  since  so  famous  as  the 
cage  and  then  the  tomb  of  that  most  furious  and 
terrible  of  wild  beasts,  a  great  conqueror.  Near 
the  fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  the  south-east 
trade-wind  died  away,  and  was  succeeded  by  four 
days  of  light,  variable,  "baffling"  winds,  when 
the  north-east  trade  set  in  strong  from  about  east- 
by-north,  its  usual  point  near  the  equator,  and 


MORTON.  319 

they  once  more  flew  joyously  on  their  north-west 
course.  A  few  "regular  built"  Mudian  (i.  e. 
Bermudan)  squalls  served  to  vary  the  scene,  and 
rendered  the  strong,  steady  gale  from  south-west, 
that  succeeded  them,  peculiarly  acceptable. 

It  was  just  sunrise  one  lovely  morning,  near  the 
last  of  July,  when  Morton,  who  had  the  morning 
watch,  directed  one  of  the  men  to  go  aloft,  and 
"  take  a  look  round."  The  seaman  had  gotten  no 
higher  than  the  fore-topsail-yard,  when  he  shouted 
"  land  ho  !"  at  the  very  top  of  his  throat. 

"  Where  away  ?" 

"Broad  on  the  larboard  bow." 

"  What  does  it  look  like  ?" 

"Low,  white  sand-beach." 

"  Cape  Cod,  by  the  mortal  man  that  made  horn 
spoons  and  poop  lanterns  !"  said  Jones,  springing 
into  the  fore-rigging. 

As  the  sun  climbed  higher  in  the  heavens,  the 
liquid  blue  plain  appeared  thickly  studded  with 
the  white  sails  of  vessels  of  all  descriptions,  and 
all  steering  to  the  westward.  There  was  the  ma- 
jestic ship  from  India  or  Liverpool;  brigs  from 
the  Mediterranean,  from  Portugal,  South  Ame- 
rica, and  the  West  Indies ;  schooners  from  the 
southern  states,  with  flour,  and  from  Maine,  with 
boards  ;  packet  sloops  from  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, &c. ;  chebacco-boats  from  fishing  on 
(l  Georgis  ;"  and  schooner-rigged  pilot-boats,  dart- 
ing about  under  jib  and  mainsail,  and  boarding 
every  vessel  that  carried  the  star-spangled  "jack" 


320  MORTON. 

at  her  fore-topgallant-mast  head.  Nothing  could 
surpass  the  tranquil  life  of  the  scene  :  more  than 
a  hundred  vessels,  of  all  descriptions,  were  gra- 
dually but  rapidly  approaching  a  common  focal 
point,  the  narrow  entrance  of  Boston  harbor,  un- 
der the  impulse  of  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  south- 
east, that  had  not  as  yet  brought  forward  its  ac- 
companying fogs  and  haze.  The  Albatross,  her 
thin  masts  clothed  from  trucks  to  deck  with  snow- 
white  canvass,  dashed  rapidly  up  the  bay,  the 
jack  flying  at  her  fore-royal-mast  head,  passing 
the  low-decked  molasses-loaded  brigs  from  the 
West  Indies,  or  the  faster  sailing  topsail-schoon- 
ers from  the  Chesapeake,  inquiring  the  news, 
and  furnishing  matter  for  speculation  to  their 
'crews. 

On  the  passage  from  China  to  Boston,  Morton 
expressed  some  impatience,  particularly  during 
the  prevalence  of  calms  or  head  winds  ;  but  Isa- 
bella, like  all  young  ladies  similarly  situated,  was 
perfectly  composed.  Why  is  it,  dear  dissemblers, 
that  you  always  seem  to  enter  the  holy  state  with 
either  reluctance  or  lukewarm  indifference?  when 
every  body,  with  half  a  head,  knows  that  matri- 
mony is  the  "  hoc  erat  in  votis,"  the  grand  object 
of  all  your  wishes.  Strange  !  that  the  laws  of 
female  modesty  should  decree  it  absolute  indeli- 
cacy for  a  girl  candidly  to  show  her  preference 
for  a  particular  individual  before  the  rest  of  his 
sex.  Strange  !  that  modern  mothers  should  uni- 
formly caution  their  daughters  against  marrying 


MORTON,  321 

for  love,  as  the  most  dangerous  rock  in  their  voy- 
age through  life.  Solomon  could  find  but  four 
strange  things  in  his  day,  and  those  four  I  do  not 
care  to  repeat ;  if  he  had  lived  in  these  times,  he 
might  find  a  hundred  and  fifty  connected  with  a 
single  matrimonial  engagement. 

The  Albatross  arrived  at  Long  Wharf  early  in 
the  afternoon  ;  and  Morton,  having  deposited  his 
dear  messmate  and  watchmate  in  the  house  of 
a  widowed  sister  of  his  father,  went  in  search 
of  a  messenger  to  convey  a  letter  to  his .  father  ; 
for,  unless  I  am  much  misinformed,  the  mail 
only  went  at  that  time  once  a  week  to  New 
Bedford. 

Though  not  "so  terrible  old"  as  I  might  be,  I 
recollect  when  a  journey  from  Boston  to  Provi- 
dence, a  distance  then  of  forty-five  miles,  occupied 
three  days :  namely,  the  traveller,  leaving  Boston 
in  the  morning,  arrived  at  Deadham  about  sunset, 
and  "put  up"  at  the  "  Gay  tavern,"  or  the  "  Wi- 
dow Woodward's  ;"  the  second  hitch  carried  him 
to  Attleborough  ;  and  the  third  evening  saw  him 
snugly  seated  in  the  bar-room  of  the  "  Old  Coffee 
House,"  Providence.  But  a  journey  to  New  York, 
as  it  was  generally  supposed  that  the  traveller 
must  "go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships"  part  of  the 
way,  that  is,  through  Long  Island  Sound  in  a 
sloop,  was  one  of  the  most  momentous  events  of 
a  long  life.  The  traveller  "  concluded"  upon  it 
in  the  fall,  occupied  the  entire  winter  and  the 
months  of  March  and  April  in  collecting  his 

27* 


»22  MORTON. 

dues,  paying  his  'debts,  setting  his  house  in  or- 
der, and  making  his  will,  before  the  weather  was 
settled. 

Two  Sundays  before  starting,  a  note  was  "  put 
up"  in  his  parish  meeting-house,  "  desiring 
prayers,"  and  early  on  Monday  morning,  to  be 
sure  of  reaching  Providence  before  the  next  Sab- 
bath, he  took  a  weeping  farewell  of  his  wife  and 
family,  and  turned  his  horse's  head  towards  the 
"  neck,"  and  his  bereaved  household  betook  them 
to  their  chambers,  "  sorrowing  as  those  that  had 
no  hope"  of  seeing  him  again. 

Morton's  messenger,  spurred  on  by  the  hopes  of 
high  pay,  made  such  diligence  that  he  actually 
arrived  at  Taunton  the  first  night,  the  selectmen 
of  which  fair  town  were  so  indignant  at  what  they 
conceived  barbarous  and  unparalleled  hard  driv- 
ing, that  they  talked  of  prosecuting  the  man  ; 
but  it  appearing  from  the  report  of  a  court  of 
inquiry  of  ostlers  that  the  horse  did  not  seern 
distressed  by  his  day's  work,  but  had  fallen  to 
work  upon  his  oats  and  hay,  they  "withdrew 
their  motion." 

Old  Mr.  Morton  received  the  news  of  his  son's 
arrival  with  the  greatest  joy.  He  sat  out  the  next 
day  in  his  own  carriage,  drawn  by  two  noble  bay 
horses,  and  arrived  without  "let  or  hindrance"  in 
Boston.  He  expected  to  find  Isabella  a  girl  pos- 
sessed of  some  considerable  beauty,  just  sufficient 
to  captivate  a  seaman  who  for  months  had  seen 
no  women  more  attractive  than  the  squaws  of  the 


MORTON.  383 

North- West  Coast  or  South  Sea  Islands ;  and  sail- 
ors, under  such  circumstances,  are  exceedingly 
susceptible,  me  ipso  tesli ;  he  had  made  up  his 
mind,  too,  that  she  could  be  no  other  than  igno- 
rant and  ill-bred  withal.  When,  then,  her  exqui- 
site beauty,  her  lovely,  retiring  modesty  of  man- 
ner, free  alike  from  affectation  or  sheepishness, 
her  expressive  and  eloquent  features,  all  burst 
upon  his  view  at  once,  his  heart  was  taken  "  by 
storm," — he  clasped  her  to  his  bosom,  and  felt  to- 
wards her  in  an  instant  as  warm  -affection  as 
though  she  was  indeed  his  own  child.  The  banns 
of  matrimony  were  published  immediately,  after 
the  manner  of  the  descendants  of  the  pilgrim 
roundheads,  and  the  marriage  solemnized  as 
soon  as  the  legal  time  had  elapsed  ;  and  the 
happy  party  took  up  their  abode  in  old  Mr. 
Morton's  house. 

Morton's  female  friends  and  acquaintance  at 
first  seemed  amazingly  shy  of  the  new  comer ;  but 
at  a  "numerous  and  highly  respectable"  petti- 
coated  caucus,  a  forlorn  hope,  after  repeated  de- 
clensions of  the  honor,  was  chosen  to  make  the 
first  "  call."  Their  report  was  so  very  favorable 
that  the  newly-married  couple  were,  in  less  than 
a  fortnight,  rather  annoyed  by  too  much  com- 
pany. 

On  the  passage  from  Mexico  to  China,  and 
thence  home,  Isabella  had,  in  vulgar  phrase, 
"  taken  a  liking"  to  Jones,  the  boatswain,  and 


324  MORTON, 

formed,  what  was  probably  conceived,  at  that 
time,  the  visionary  plan  of  breaking  him  from 
his  intemperate  habits.  She  communicated  her 
scheme  to  her  husband  shortly  after  their  mar- 
riage, who  most  cheerfully  coincided  in  opinion 
with  her.  Jones  was  accordingly  sent  for,  and 
regularly  installed  in  the  family.  The  eloquent 
representations  of  Mrs.  Morton,  and  the  promises 
of  her-  husband  and  his  father,  had  the  wished-for 
effect — the  old  tar  consented  to  "  give  up  grog," 
and  did  so,  making  exceptions  only  in  favor  of 
the  "glorious  first  of  June,"  the  anniversary  of 
Lord  Howe's  victory  off  Ushant,  at  which  Jones 
was  present,  the  fourth  of  July,  'lection  days, 
Thanksgiving  days,  and  the  birth  of  Mrs.  Mor- 
ton's first  child.  This  last  event  took  place,  by 
what  modern  editors  call  a  "  singular  coinci- 
dence," upon  the  first  of  June  ensuing  ;  and 
Jones  was  sorely  puzzled  how  to  "  keep  up"  both 
days,  and,  in  consequence,  got  very  considerably 
"  corned."  It  was,  however,  his  last  offence  ;  he 
gradually  adopted  the  temperate  habits  of  the  fa- 
mily, and  continued  in  them  to  his  death. 

We  have  no  farther  particulars  to  communicate, 
except  that  Charles  Morton  was  taken  into  part- 
nership by  his  father,  and  became  wealthy,  and 
that  his  wife  wrote  a  long  and  kind  letter  to  her 
uncle,  which  was  forwarded  by  the  captain  of  an 
outward-bound  whaleman,  who  delivered  it  into 
his  own  hands.  The  old  Don  did  not  answer  it, 


MORTON.  385 

however  ;  and  Isabella,  in  whose  heart  other  af- 
fections had  taken  root,  was  not,  perhaps,  much 
grieved  or  indignant  at  his  silence ;  the  affection  of 
her  husband,  her  children,  and  her  friends,  soon 
obliterated  all  melancholy  recollections, 


THE  PIRATE  OF  MASAFUERO. 


THE  PIRATE  OF  MASAFUERO. 


CHAPTER     I. 

Gonzalo.    Had  I  a  plantation  of  this  isle,  my  lord, 

And  were  the  king  of  it,  what  would  I  do  1 
Sebastian.  'Scape  getting  drunk,  for  want  of  wine. 

TEMPEST. 

IN  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  within  two  days'  sail  of 
the  coast  of  Chili,  lies  the  little  island  of  Masa- 
fuero,  or,  as  the  word  is  generally  divided  by  the 
Spaniards  who  discovered  it,  Mas-a-fuero — that  is, 
the  farthest — to  distinguish  it  from  Juan  Fernan- 
dez, which  lies  nearer  the  main  land,  and  in  sight 
of  Masafuero.  Juan  Fernandez  is  well  known  to 
all  the  reading  community  as  having  once  been 
the  temporary  residence  of  Alexander  Selkirk,  the 
original,  or,  as  grammarians  would  call  it,  the 
root,  of  De  Foe's  bewitching  romance  of  Robinson 
Crusoe. 

Masafuero  is,  on  the  contrary,  remarkable  for 
nothing  more,  that  I  know  of,  than  being  very 
difficult  of  access,  and  overrun  with  wild  goats. 
It  is  situated  in  the  latitude  of  thirty-three  degrees 
and  forty-five  minutes,  south,  and  eighty  degrees 

28 


330  THEPIRATE 

and  thirty-six  minutes,  west  longitude  ;  for  I  love 
to  be  particular  in  all  such  cases — riot  that  I  sup- 
pose my  readers  care  a  pin  if  I  had  told  them  it 
was  in  the  south-west  horn  of  the  new  moon  ;  but 
all  authors,  when  they  put  pen  to  paper,  seem  ac- 
tuated by  the  kind  and  neighborly  spirit  of  the 
sagacious  Dogberry — namely,  to  "bestow  all  their 
tediousness"  upon  their  readers  ;  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  have  aay  prescriptive  right — I  am 
sure  I  have  no  intention — to  depart  from  so  well- 
worn  a  track,  or  to  fly  in  the  face  of  so  many  illus- 
trious precedents. 

This  island  is  covered,  from  the  water's  edge  to 
the  summit,  with  trees,  and  it  is  only  for  the  sake 
of  wood  that  it  is  ever  visited  by  our  whalemen, 
who  fell  the  trees  on  the  brink  of  steep  cliffs,  and 
tumble  them  down,  by  which  process  they  are 
broken  up  into  sufficiently  short  pieces  to  render 
their  carriage  convenient.  There  are  evident 
traces  of  most  tremendous  earthquakes  visible 
throughout  the  island ;  huge  fissures  and  rents 
from  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills  to  unknown  and 
unexplorable  depths,  vast  scattered  masses  of  rock 
that  have  been  shaken  down  from  the  cliffs,  and 
many  other  similar  appearances,  announce  that 
the  most  terrific  convulsions  of  nature  have  ren- 
dered Masafuero  a  very  unquiet  residence,  even  to 
the  poor  goats,  at  different  times.  In  its  external 
appearance,  and  when  seen  at  some  distance,  it 
bears  considerable  resemblance  to  the  celebrated 
Isle  of  St.  Helena,  and  is,  like  it,  exceeding  pre- 


OPMASAFUERO.  331 

cipitotis,  and  has  but  one  approachable,  and  not 
always  accessible,  landing-place.  Of  this  last  trait 
in  its  character  I  can  speak  from  experience  and 
most  feelingly,  having  visited  the  island  in  the 
year  1821,  in  a  small  brig,  with  the  intention  of 
getting  off  nine  men,  who  had  been  left  there  some 
time  previous  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  seal- 
skins, with  which  the  island  abounds,  as  well  as 
with  goats.  Our  attempt  was  rendered  fruitless 
by  the  violence  of  the  wind,  which,  for  the  time  it 
lasted,  exceeded  any  thing  I  had  ever  seen,  except 
a  typhon  in  the  China  seas,  and  one  north-wester 
off  Nantucket  shoals. 

Some  of  the  men,  ^whom  I  afterwards  saw,  in- 
formed me  that  they  had,  during  their  abode  there, 
planted  sundry  garden  seeds,  such  as  beans,  pump- 
kin, squash,  and  onion  seeds  ;  but  this  item  of  in- 
telligence I  look,  upon  to  be  somewhat  apocryphal ; 
at  any  rate,  I  would  not  recommend  to  any  one, 
who  may  chance  to  visit  said  island,  to  save  his 
stomach  for  any  pumpkin  pies  or  baked  beans  he 
may  obtain  from  it.  There  is  undoubtedly  fertile 
soil  enough  for  a  garden — but  then  the  goats. 

The  island  also  enjoys  the  reputation  of  having 
once  been  the  rendezvous  of  a  gang  of  pirates,  as 
a  house,  that  has  stood  untenanted  for  any  length 
of  time,  is  sure  to  be  peopled  with  ghosts.  People 
seem  to  think  it  a  pity  that  a  tenement  should  re- 
main unoccupied,  so,  out  of  sheer  compassion  for 
the  proprietor,  they  stock  it  with  unearthly  tenants 
from  roof  to  cellar,  or  like — for,  now  I  am  in  the 


332  THEPIRATK 

humor  for  comparisons,  I  might  as  well  go  on — it 
was  like  a  man  who  keeps  his  business  to  himself 
and  troubles  nobody ;  his  neighbors,  knowing  no- 
thing about  his  occupations  and  habits,  take  it  for 
granted  that  they  are  both  bad  and  "  contrary  to 
the  peace  of  the  commonwealth." 

Masafuero  had,  however,  tolerably  strong  claims 
to  the  title  of  a  "  den  of  thieves  ;"  for  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that,  during  the  stormy  times  that  took 
place  when  South  America  shook  off  the  Spanish 
yoke  and  put  on  fifty  worse  ones — when  there  was 
a  revolution  once  a  week,  and  murder  and  rapine 
every  hour — many  of  the  human  vultures  that 
flocked  to  the  prey,  from  Europe  and  this  country, 
made  this  little  island  a  place  of  deposit  for  their 
ill-gotten  wealth,  and  a  rendezvous  and  city  of 
refuge  from  the  vengeance  of  some  of  the  short- 
lived authorities.  The  celebrated  Benavidas,  a 
sort  of  "  free  companion,"  was,  as  sailors  say,  "  in 
vogue/'  when  I  first  visited  the  Pacific  in  1821  ; 
and  as  he  carried  on  business  both  by  land  and 
water,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  occasionally  visited 
both  Masafuero  and  Juan  Fernandez. 

But  there  were  other  "  land  rats  and  water  rats" 
than  Benavidas,  who,  it  may  be  interesting  to  know, 
died  suddenly  one  day  of  strangulation,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  cravat  being  tied  too  tight.  Num- 
bers of  English  and  American  seamen,  at  the  first 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  who  happened  to 
be  on  the  spot,  realised  large  sums  by  privateering, 
and  by  striking  certain  sudden  and  bold  strokes, 


OP     MASAPUERO.  333 

a  la  Buccanier,  upon  the  rich  Spanish  towns  and 
richer  churches ;  and  as  "  their  sound  went  out 
into  all  lands,"  others  flocked  to  the  Pacific  for  the 
same  purpose.  But  by  this  time  the  first  agony 
was  over :  the  new  government,  short-lived  and 
ephemeral  as  it  was,  enacted  certain  wholesome 
laws,  which,  as  they  did  not  materially  interfere 
with  the  political  views  of  the  parties  that  suc- 
cessively kicked  each  other  down  stairs,  were 
generally  permitted  to  stand.  A  navy  was  organ^ 
ised  and  plunder  was  legalised  ;  privateering  was 
placed  under  restrictions ;  and,  as  none  of  these 
butterfly  republics  were  in  existence  long  enough 
to  take  any  further  steps  towards  paying  their  sea- 
men and  soldiers  than  promising  to,  said  seamen 
and  soldiers  very  naturally  betook  themselves  to 
their  respective  elements  to  look  for  prey.  I  have 
often  wondered  that  the  problem  of  our  revolution 
was  not  followed  by  the  same  corollary.  The 
two  nations  might  be  differently  constituted — they 
were  not  differently  situated. 

Many  stories  are  related  of  the  daring  exploits 
of  these  freebooters,  both  on  the  water  and  on  the 
land ;  but  there  was  generally  a  shade  of  difference 
in  favor  of  the  former,  on  the  score  of  both  courage 
and  humanity ;  the  "  water  rats"  being  almost  ex- 
clusively English  and  Americans,  and  possessing 
both  qualities  by  nature  so  strongly  impressed, 
that  they  could  never  be  entirely  eradicated  or 
smothered.  The  land  robbers,  on  the  other  hand, 
were  as  exclusively  native  Chilenos,  a  mixture 


334  THE      PIRATE,      ETC. 

generally  of  Indian  and  Spaniard — a  more  detest- 
able amalgamation  the  earth  does  not  produce — if 
the  devil  was  to  cross  the  breed,  it  would  rather 
improve  it  than  otherwise.  One  of  the  most  for- 
midable, most  bloodthirsty,  and  most  successful  of 
these  pirates  wound  up  his  affairs  not  a  great  while 
before  I  arrived  in  the  Pacific,  Jack  Ketch  being 
his  administrator. 


CHAPTER     II 


Virtue  ?  a  fig !  'tis  in  ourselves  that  we  are  thus  and  thus. 

OTHELLO. 


JAMES  LONGFORD  was  the  eldest  son  of  a  mer- 
chant in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York,  who 
furnished  in  his  own  conduct  one  of  those  very 
rare  instances  of  a  mercantile  man  contented  with 
what  he  has  amassed,  and  willing  to  retire  to  pri- 
vate life  to  enjoy  it.  'Tis  true  that  merchants 
pretend,  to  say,  after  having  heaped  up  something 
like  a  million,  that  they  continue  in  business  for 
the  sake  of  the  employment  of  time  and  excite- 
ment of  mind  that  it  affords,  and  not  for  the  lucre 
of  gain ;  "  sed  non  ego  credulus  illis,"  or,  in  plain 
English,  "  they  may  tell  that  to  the  marines,  the 
sailors  won't  believe  them."  The  thirst  for  gain 
increases  with  its  gratification,  as  I  could  quote 
more  Latin  to  prove  ;  and  not  only  does  gratifica- 
tion increase  the  appetite,  but  it  seems  to  pucker 
up  the  heart,  and  contract  the  muscles  of  the 
hand,  for  your  very  rich  man  is  almost  invariably 
a  very  close  and  avaricious  one,  except  when 


336  THEPIRATE 

making  public  donations  to  institutions  already 
bursting  with  wealth,  when  they  know  that  their 
names  and  sums  given  will  go  the  rounds  of  the 
public  prints  under  the  head  of  "  munificent  do- 
nations." How  delicious  is  flattery,  even  when 
thrown  down  one's  throat  with  a  shovel ! 

But  they  are  stingy  in  another  way,  that  brings 
with  it  its  own  punishment — they  starve  them- 
selves. I  know  of  several  of  your  half  million 
folks,  not  a  thousand  miles  from  where  I  now  sit, 
whose  table  does  not  cost  them  fifty  cents  a  day, 
and  that  too  with  tolerably  numerous  families.  I 
was  once  ill-advised  enough  to  dine  with  a  gen- 
tleman of  this  description,  in  a  sister  city,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  repeated  and  pressing  invitations. 
We  had  part  of  a  fore-quarter  of  very  small  mut- 
ton boiled,  with  a  small  modicum  of  potatoes ;  one 
man  could  have  eaten  the  whole.  To  be  sure,  I 
had  a  glass  of  "London  particular"  Madeira  after 
dinner,  if  it  deserves  the  name,  but  as  soon  as  I 
had  done  I  made  my  excuses — "indispensable 
business — obliged  to  go  out  of  town,  &c."  and  fled 
to  an  eating-house,  where  I  satisfied  what  Dan 
Homer  emphatically  calls  the  "  thumos  edodes." 
the  madness  of  appetite,  with  something  more  to 
the  purpose  than  lean  mutton. 

Mr.  Longford  was  "  none  of  them  sort ;" — he 
retired  from  business  with  only  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, but  with  a  clear  conscience,  adjusted  books, 
and  not  a  single  cent  of  debt — he  never  refused 
his  charity  to  deserving  objects,  and  never  signed 


OP     MASAFUERO.  337 

a  subscription  paper  for  their  relief, — he  was  never 
a  member  of  a  charitable  society,  and  never  con- 
tributed a  cent  to  the  Missionary  funds,  whether 
for  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  or  the  Island  of 
Borneo,  where  there  are  nothing  but  monkeys,  or 
Malays  as  incapable  of  being  christianized  as  the 
monkeys.  Had  he  lived  at  the  present  time,  and 
in  this  section  of  the  country,  he  would  have  been 
prayed  for  and  prayed  at,  at  least  once  a  day,  and 
been,  besides,  occasionally  held  up  in  the  pulpit 
as  a  specimen  of  total  depravity,  and  a  child  of 
perdition. 

Yet,  with  all  these  defects,  Mr.  George  Long- 
ford was  a  sincerely  devout  man,  and  a  most  firm 
believer  in  the  Christian  religion, — from  a  convic-  ^ 
tion  of  its  truth,  not  merely  because  it  was  the 
fashion  to  believe  it,  or  because  his  fathers  be- 
lieved it  before  him, — and  a  practical  observer  of 
its  moral  precepts.  He  read  and  studied  the  New 
Testament,  because  it  contained  a  compendium 
of  all  his  every-day  duties  as  a  rational  and  ac- 
countable being,  and  as  a  member  of  society,  not 
because  it  was  a  magazine  of  polemical  divinity 
and  abstruse  doctrines.  The  evening  of  such  a 
man's  -life  is  calm  and  tranquil ;  his  death  is  in- 
deed the  death  of  the  righteous. 

James  was  this  man's  eldest  son  ; — I  cannot 
say,  as  novel  writers  generally  do,  that  "  in  him 
were  centred  the  hopes  and  wishes  of  his  fond 
parents," — for  they  were  not — they  looked  for 
support  and  comfort  in  their  old  age  to  their  other 


338  THE      PIRATE 

children.  James  was  a  refractory  and  disobedient 
child  from  the  very  cradle.  It  is  ridiculous  to  say 
that  all  men  are  born  alike  in  dispositions  and 
capacities  ;  the  great  poet  of  nature,  from  whom 
I  have,  as  usual,  taken  my  text,  says  no ;  and  I 
would  sooner  have  a  single  line  from  him  than 
folios  of  ingenious  theories  and  metaphysical  ar- 
guments from  the  profoundest  philosophers.  I 
have  not  much  faith  in  innate  ideas,  but  I  confess 
that  I  have  in  innate  dispositions,  both  good  and 
bad. 

James  Longford's  disposition  was  most  decid- 
edly bad  by  nature — he  was  constantly,  even 
when  a  mere  schoolboy,  in  mischief,  and  that,  too, 
of  a  kind  that  marked  a  malicious  and  cruel  tem- 
*per.  His  father  in  vain  exhausted  kindness  and 
severity,  in  the  hope  of  subduing  this  most  un- 
happy temper ;  but  neither  the  infliction  of  pu- 
nishment, that  he  deserved  twenty  times  a  day, 
nor  the  caresses  of  the  tenderest  parental  affection, 
appeared  to  have  the  least  influence  in  mollifying 
his  stubborn  and  morose  disposition — he  seemed 
to  be  one  of  those  whom  St.  Paul  characterizes,  in 
that  tremendous  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  as  being  "without  natural  affection." 
Notwithstanding  all  these  faults,  he  had  naturally 
a  strong  mind  and  good  talents  ;  so  that  by  the 
time  he  had  attained  his  eighteenth  year  he  was, 
at  one  and  the  same  time,  one  of  the  most  ungo- 
vernable and  ill-tempered  boys  and  best  scholars 


OFMASAFUERO.  339 

in  Parson  Crabtree's  seminary  of  some  fifty  in 
number. 

At  this  period  his  father  placed  him  in  the 
counting-room  of  a  wealthy  mercantile  house  in 
the  city  of  New- York.  Here  his  good  education 
and  natural  quickness  soon  procured  him  the  fa- 
vorable notice  of  his  employers,  while  his  constant 
and  active  duties  seemed  to  have  smothered,  at 
least  for  a  time,  his  malicious  temper.  Before  the 
expiration  of  a  year  he  had  acquired  the  good  will 
and  confidence  of  the  merchants  whom  he  served ; 
but  by  this  time  the  pleasures  and  temptations  of 
the  "  Commercial  Emporium"  had  begun  to  at- 
tract his  inexperienced  eyes,  and  his  disposition 
seemed  to  have  taken  a  new  turn.  2 

With  all  the  stubborn  wilmlness  and  unfeeling  • 
carelessness  of  consequences  that  characterized 
his  temper,  he  plunged  into  all  manner  of  vicious 
indulgences  ;  but  what  seemed  to  attract  him  the 
most  irresistibly,  and  fix  him  the  most  firmly,  was 
a  fondness  for  gambling.  The  "time-honored'* 
black -legs  of  the  billiard  and  roulette  tables  were, 
however,  an  overmatch  for  an  inexperienced  lad 
of  nineteen,  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  he 
was  soon  stripped,  thoroughly  "  cleaned  out."  It 
was  then  that  the  idea  of  replenishing  his  pockets 
from  the  counting-room  trunk  first  presented  itself 
to  his  mind,  and,  without  much  hesitation  or  com- 
punction of  conscience,  he  took  small  sums  from 
time  to  time. 

It  is  needless  to  trace  his  progress  more  mi- 


340  THB      PIRATE 

nutely — he  finished  by  forging  a  check  for  a  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  forgery  was  subsequently 
detected. 

Precisely  the  same  "  dull  round"  of  vice  is 
trodden,  at  least  once  a  week,  by  the  same  class 
of  young  men.  The  merchants'  clerks  are  cer- 
tainly creatures  of  no  imagination,  or  they  would 
have  struck  out  some  new  way  of  going  to  the 
devil ;  they  evidently  have  not  a  spark  of  what 
an  eminent  Irish  lawyer  called  "the  poetry  of 
wickedness  ;"  they  uniformly  begin  with  plun- 
dering the  money  drawer,  and  end  with  forging 
checks. 

Mr.  Longford  was  advised  of  his  son's  guilt, 
and  the  affair  was  compromised  by  his  paying  the 
amount  purloined.  In  utter  despair  the  afflicted 
father  placed  his  degenerate  son  on  board  an  out- 
ward-bound Jndiaman,  a  mode  of  proceeding  often 
resorted  to  prematurely,  for  it  generally  does  a 
boy's  business  if  he  is  viciously  inclined — a  mer- 
chantman's forecastle  is  not  a  school  of  morality. 
Sending  a  refractory  child  to  sea  may  be  an  excel- 
lent way  of  getting  rid  of  him,  but  it  is  at  the 
same  time  the  most  expeditious  mode  of  sending 
him  to  the  devil. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  "  godly  cap- 
tains ;"  but  I  never  knew  one  that  was  not  an  in- 
fernal tyrant,  and  a  most  accomplished  scoundrel. 
If  you  wish  to  cure  a  boy  of  a  fondness  for  the 
sea,  send  him  a  good  long  voyage  with  a  godly 
captain,  and  I'll  be  bail  that  he  comes  home  as 


OFMASAFUERO.  .          341 

lean  as  a  weazel,  and  most  thoroughly  disgusted 
at  the  very  thoughts  of  a  ship.  If  you  merely 
wish  to  get  rid  of  him,  send  him  to  the  coast  of 
Guinea  on  a  trading  voyage,  or  to  that  Golgotha, 
New  Orleans ;  a  godly  captain,  by  working  him 
one  half  to  death,  and  starving  him  the  other,  will 
put  it  out  of  his  power  to  trouble  you  any  more 
in  this  world.  The  Carmelites  and  other  religious 
orders  were  once  of  opinion  that  the  devil  could 
be  flogged  out  of  the  flesh,  and  for  that  purpose 
wore  a  couple  of  fathoms  of  two-inch  rope  about 
their  loins  :  godly  captains  think  he  can  be  worked 
out,  and  so,  perhaps,  he  can ;  but  generally,  in  the 
two  places  that  I  have  mentioned,  he  and  the  vital 
spark  go  out  together. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  ought  to  regard  it  as  a 
fortunate  or  unfortunate  circumstance,  that  the 
first  captain  that  I  sailed  with  was  a  "  ripper  "  for 
swearing  and  drinking.  He  was  a  professed  infi- 
del, a  first-rate  seaman,  an  excellent  scholar,  and 
took  more  care  of  the  morals  of  his  crew  than 
many  of  those  who  have  prayers  twice  a  day ; 
and  ten  thousand  times  more  of  their  health,  for 
he  would  not  permit  a  man  to  expose  himself  for 
two  minutes  to  the  sun  or  rain  in  Batavia,  and  in 
consequence  did  not  lose  a  man.  He  watched 
over  my  moral  and  physical  health  with  a  degree 
of  zeal  and  tenderness  that  I  have  never,  for  an 
instant,  experienced  since,  at  the  hands  of  those 
who  call  themselves  my  "friends."  Indeed,  the 
severest  scolding  he  ever  gave  me,  and  I  expected 

29 


342  THE     PIRATE 

every  moment  he  would  knock  me  down  in  the 
street,  was  for  walking,  one  deliciously  cool  morn- 
ing, from  Weltwreden  to  Batavia,  a  distance  of 
four  miles,  when  I  had  a  carriage  and  two  horses 
at  my  disposal. 

Peace  to  his  ashes  !  I  have  lived  to  see  the 
grave  close  in  succession  over  many  of  the  few 
friends  that  I  ever  had.  When  I  wandered  about 
London  streets,  barefoot  and  half-naked,  in  the 
dead  of  a  hard  winter,  just  discharged  from  a 
hospital,  and  scarcely  able  to  drag  one  foot  after 
the  other,  my  situation  was  comparatively  envia- 
ble. I  had  no  self-styled  "  friends  "  at  my  elbow, 
to  mock  me  by  talking  about  my  "  talents !"  I 
knew  that  if  I  did  not  "  bear  a  hand,"  and  ship 
myself  off  somewhere,  I  should  be  taken  up  on  the 
vagrant  act,  and  sent  to  Bridewell.  Burns  says, 

"  The  fear  o'  death  's  a  hangman's  whip, 
That  hauds  the  wretch  in  order." 

I  should  be  loth  to  admit  that  the  fear  of  Bride- 
well operated  as  a  stimulus  upon  my  mind,  for  it 
did  not  often  occur  to  me ;  but  I  longed  to  enjoy 
once  more 

"  the  glorious  privilege 
Of  being  independent;" 

and  he,  who  is  earning  an  honest  livelihood  by 
his  own  exertions,  and  can  shave  with  cold  water, 
is,  in  my  estimation,  more  truly  independent  than 
he,  whose  father  has  bequeathed  him  half  a  mil- 
lion. Reader !  you  may  as  well  pardon  this  di- 


OFMASAFUERO.  343 

gression  first  as  last,  for  it  is  ten  chances  to  one 
that  you  fall  in  with  a  whole  fleet  of  them  before 
you  have  sailed  through  these  pages.  If  I  do  not 
moralize  as  I  go  along,  I  shall  not  have  a  chance 
to  do  it  any  where  else. 

As  the  afflicted  father  returned,  with  melan- 
choly steps  and  slow,  towards  his  quiet  home,  he 
could  not  forbear  feeling  an  emotion  of  regret  at 
the  thought  of  having  parted  with  his  son  in  such 
a  manner.  "  Had  I  but  placed  him/'  he  said  to 
himself,  "under  the  charge  of  the  commander  of 
one  of  our  men-of-war,  he  would  necessarily  have 
been  under  such  strict  guardianship  and  disci- 
pline that  his  unfortunate  habits  might  be  entirely 
broken  up ;  but  now  I  fear  that  the  liberty  he  will 
be  allowed,  or  will  take,  in  a  merchant's  ship,  will 
be  his  ruin." 

His  home  wa  smore  gloomy  and  sad  that  even- 
ing than  it  had  ever  been  before ;  for  though 
satisfied  in  the  main  with  his  own  conduct,  and 
hoping  that  the  voyage  would  have  most  benefi- 
cial effects  upon  his  son's  behavior  and  disposi- 
tion, he  regretted  most  bitterly  the  necessity  of  the 
measure,  and  felt  the  keenest  anxiety  as  to  its  re- 
sults. That  son  was  destined  never  to  return. 

The  ship  in  which  he  was  embarked  was  driven 
much  farther  to  the  westward  than  is  usually  the 
case  with  outward-bound  Indiamen,  and  -encoun- 
tered one  of  those  tremendous  gales  of  wind, 
known  to  seamen  by  the  local  name  of  pamperos, 
from  their  blowing  off  the  immense  pampas,  or 


544  THE     PIRATE 

plains,  that  constitute  a  large  portion  of  the  pro- 
vince of  Buenos  Ayres,  or,  as  it  is  now  called,  the 
Argentine  Republic.  The  ship  was  dismasted, 
and  with  difficulty  succeeded  in  reaching  the  har- 
bor of  Buenos  Ayres  to  refit. 

The  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  was  at  that  time,  and 
I  believe  it  is  not  much  better  now,  a  nest  and 
rendezvous  of  pirates,  that,  under  the  cover  of  the 
republican  flag,  and  the  assumed  character  of 
men-of-war  or  privateers,  with  forged  commis- 
sions, committed  the  most  barefaced  and  abomina- 
ble acts  of  piracy.  The  British  cruisers,  by  cap- 
turing and  hanging  a  good  number  of  them,  struck 
a  most  wholesome  terror  into  the  rest ;  but  our 
government,  with  a  fraternal  affection  for  every 
mean  and  insignificant  patch  of  barren  sand-beach 
that  called  itself  a  republic,  more  worthy  the  sans- 
culotterie  of  the  French  revolution,  than  becoming 
a  great  and  polished  nation,  permitted  them  to  sell 
their  prizes  and  refit  in  our  ports.  Buenos  Ayres 
was  then  a  point  towards  which  all  the  scoundrels, 
and  thieves,  and  murderers,  of  Europe  and  the 
United  States,  were  radiating  as  to  a  common 
centre. 

Here,  as  might  have  been  expected,  Longford 
found  plenty  of  congenial  companions  to  "  whet 
his  almost  blunted  purpose"  of  vicious  propensity 
and  indulgence.  In  a  drunken  quarrel  at  the 
gaming-table,  knives  were  drawn,  and  Longford 
stabbed  his  antagonist  -to  the  heart.  Murders  are 
so  exceedingly  common  in  all  the  Spanish  posses- 


OPMASAPUERO.  345 

sions  and  settlements  in  America,  that  but  seldom 
or  never  is  any  inquiry  set  on  foot  with  regard  to 
them.  The  only  judicial  formality  consists  in 
laying  the  dead  bodies  on  their  backs,  with  a  plate 
upon  the  breast  of  each  to  receive  the  contribu- 
tions of  those  who  are  disposed  to  assist  in  defray- 
ing the  expenses  of  burial.  But  the  murdered 
person,  in  this  case,  was  a  man  of  considerable 
consequence  in  the  Buenos  Ayrean  government, 
having  the  charge  and  management  of  certain 
public  moneys,  and  in  consequence,  the  "authori- 
ties" thought  it  worth  their  while  to  ask  a  few 
questions  about  his  "  taking  off."  Longford  was 
well  aware  of  these  facts,  and  with  considerable 
difficulty  and  danger  made  his  escape  to  the  other 
side  of  the  river. 

After  remaining  concealed  for  some  time,  he 
ventured  down  to  Monte  Yideo,  where  he  found 
the  English  brig  Swan,  bound  round  Cape  Horn. 
Her  crew,  deluded  by  the  false  and  extravagant 
promises  of  privateering  captains  and  owners,  had 
all  deserted.  In  this  dilemma  the  captain  was 
compelled  to  supply  their  places  with  such  mate- 
rials as  could  be  picked  up  in  the  streets  of  Monte 
Video,  and  which  were  as  bad  as  bad  could  be. 
Indeed,  from  the  lawless  state  of  all  South  Ame- 
rica, it  would  have  been  next  to  impossible  to  have 
procured,  "  for  love  or  money,"  twenty  good  and 
orderly  seamen,  from  Darien  to  Patagonia.  Among 
these  vagabonds  Longford  recognised  many  of  his 
gaming-table  acquaintances  at  Buenos  Ayres,  who 

29* 


346  THE      PIRATE 

had  left  that  city  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  certain 
impertinent  questions  that  the  police  had  taken  the 
liberty  to  ask  concerning  the  murder  that  has 
already  been  mentioned.  These  fellows  had  im- 
bibed a  notion  that  seems  to  be  an  easily-besetting 
one  among  sailors  who  enter  on  board  a  ship  in 
the  middle  of  her  voyage,  namely,  that  there  is 
money  on  board ;  which  notion  is  but  too  often 
followed  by  an  exceedingly  strong  inclination  to 
appropriate  it  to  their  own  use  and  behoof.  Sail- 
ors seem  to  understand  but  confusedly  the  tenth 
commandment,  which  forbids  us  to  covet  any 
thing  that  is  our  neighbor's. 

The  subject  was  discussed  on  the  passage,  the 
plan  arranged,  and  the  unsuspecting  officers,  pass- 
engers, and  two  lads,  apprentices  to  the  captain,  mur- 
dered and  thrown  overboard.  My  readers  would 
be,  perhaps,  but  little  edified  by  a  more  circum- 
stantial narrative.  There  is  so  little  variation  in 
the  details  of  shipwreck,  acts  of  piracy,  obituary 
notices,  ordinations,  commencements,  murders, 
suicides,  mammoth  turnips,  and  Fourth  of  July 
celebrations,  that  printers  would  find  it  a  great 
saving  of  time,  money,  and  labor,  to  have  regular 
and  approved  forms  of  each  stereotyped,  with 
blank  spaces  for  names  and  dates. 

This  bloody  deed  was  executed  near  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  then  half  province  and  half 
republic  of  Chili ;  and  the  murderers,  with  consi- 
derable difficulty,  succeeded  in  running  the  ship 
between  the  island  of  Santa  Marie  and  the  main, 


OPMASAPUERO.  347 

and  anchoring  near  the  town  or  city  of  Aranco, 
which  was  then  in  the  hands  of  Benavidas,  above 
mentioned. 

This  sanguinary  freebooter  was  then,  under  the 
auspices  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  equally 
sanguinary  royal  governor  of  Chili,  Sanchez, 
carrying  on  a  most  horrid  and  cruel  war  of  exter- 
mination against  the  republican  inhabitants  of  the 
southern  part  of  Chili.  Into  the  hands  of  this 
murderous  ruffian  and  his  ragamuffin  gang  the 
Swan  was  delivered  ;  but  the  villany  of  her  pirati- 
cal crew  was  soon  to  receive  its  just  punishment. 
Benavidas,  who  suspected  them  of  having  kept 
back  no  trifling  part  of  the  plunder,  with  very 
little  privacy  and  no  formality,  shot  them  all  but 
Longford,  whom,  for  some  unaccountable  reason 
or  other,  he  spared. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Orlando.    Good  day  and  happiness,  dear  Rosalind. 
Jaqucs.    Nay  then,  God  be  wi'  you  an  you  talk  in  blank  verse. 
As  You  LIK*  IT. 

OUR  scene  must  now  change  somewhat  abruptly 
from  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  to  a  very  different 
part  of  this  watery  ball. 

Great  and  manifold  are  the  advantages  that  an 
author  enjoys  over  his  readers;  for,  however 
anxious  thpse  readers  may  be  to  arrive  at  the  end 
of  the  story,  they  must  either  close  the  book  with 
a  "  Pish  !"  or  a  "  Pshaw  !"  or  condescend  to  follow 
him,  and  resignedly  await  his  leisure.  He  leads 
them  where  he  pleases  and  at  what  pace  he  pleases ; 
they  must  follow  him ;  they  are  like  passengers  on 
board  a  packet  beating  into  port  with  what  sailors 
call  "  a  good  working  breeze  ;"  at  one  moment  they 
seem  to  have  almost  reached  the  anchorage,  when 
suddenly  the  skipper  shouts  "  Helm's  a-lee,"  the 
vessel  heaves  in  stays  and  makes  a  long  "  stretch" 
off,  till  the  spires  and  roofs  of  the  wished-for  haven 
seem  fading  away  in  the  hazy  distance. 

The  celebrated  Hugh  Peters,  one  of  Cromwell's 
fanatical  preachers,  explaining  to  his  audience  why 


THE      PIRATE,     ETC.  349 

God  was  forty  years  leading  the  children  of  Israel 
through  the  wilderness,  which  was  not  more  than 
forty  days'  march  across,  made  a  circumflex  with 
his  finger  upon  his  pulpit  cushion,  and  said,  "he 
led  them  crinkledum  cum  crankledum,"  I  do  not 
intend  that  my  story  shall  make  more  "  Virginia 
fence"  than  is  absolutely  necessary;  but  that  it 
shall  proceed,  like  a  law-suit,  "with  deliberate 
speed." 

In  the  vicinity  of  one  of  those  beautiful  villages 
that  surround  the  great  commercial  city  of  Bristol, 
and  upon  the  banks  of  the  lovely  Severn,  stood  the 
residence  of  a  wealthy  merchant.  There  was  no- 
thing about  the  house  or  grounds  that  denoted  the 
occupant  or  owner  to  be  of  a  mercantile  turn ;  for 
there  certainly  is,  very  generally,  something  about 
merchants'  houses  that  is  prim  and  starch — some- 
thing precise  and  formal  about  them,  as  though 
they  had  been  planned  according  to  the  "  Golden 
Rule  of  Three,"  and  executed  with  reference  to 
the  multiplication  table.  It  is  a  most  melancholy 
fact,  that  the  close,  confined  air  of  a  counting-room 
is  deadly  poison  to  a  taste  for  the  fine  arts,  and,  but 
too  often,  to  every  thing  like  liberality  of  feeling. 

Eflingham  House  was  neither  planned  nor  exe- 
cuted upon  a  grand  or  a  mean  scale  ;  there  was 
nothing  extravagant  or  penurious,  vast  or  con- 
tracted, about  it ;  but  it  presented  a  happy  com- 
bination of  the  comfortable,  the  elegant,  and  the 
neat.  Such  houses  are  very  common  indeed 
throughout  New  England;  in  the  old  country 


350  THEPIRATE 

there  is  a  constant  repetition  of  the  fable  of  the 
frog  and  the  ox — the  wealthy  cit  endeavoring  to 
equal  the  haughty  splendors  of  the  nobleman. 

The  villa  that  we  describe  fronted  upon  a  large 
and  beautiful  lawn,  that  gradually  sloped  towards 
the  river,  of  which,  and  the  lovely  scenery  beyond 
it,  it  commanded  an  enchanting  view,  and  was 
spotted  with  noble  oaks  and  elms,  that  appeared 
to  have  stood  ever  since  the  Conquest,  or  might, 
perhaps,  have  overshadowed  the  legions  of  Agri- 
COla,  A  carriage  path,  well  gravelled  and  kept 
perfectly  free  from  dirt  and  weeds,  wound  around 
among  these  primeval  trees,  occasionally  emerging 
from  their  shade,  as  if  to  give  the  approaching 
stranger  an  opportunity  to  view  every  part  of  the 
delightful  landscape. 

Along  this  path  a  horseman  was  seen  riding, 
one  lovely  afternoon  in  September.  The  air  of 
the  rider  was  that  of  a  man  to  whom  the  scene 
was  perfectly  familiar,  but  who  seemed  busy  with 
thoughts  that  made  him  inattentive  to  its  beauties. 
His  sunburnt  countenance,  and  an  indescribable 
something  in  his  whole  appearance,  that  the  ex- 
perienced eye  of  a  member  of  the  same  fraternity 
only  could  discern,  announced  that  he  was  one  of 
those  that  "  followed  the  seas." 

He  alighted,  and,  giving  his  horse  to  a  servant, 
ran  up  the  steps  of  the  portico.  A  young  lady, 
who  was  tending  some  flowers  at  a  little  distance, 
hearing  his  footsteps,  sprang  towards  him  with 
sparkling  eyes  and  smiling  countenance,  exclaim- 


OF     MASAPUERO.  351 

ing,  in  a  voice  of  most  unequivocal  tenderness, 
"  George  !"  The  seaman  caught^her  offered  hand, 
and  covered  it  with  kisses.  The  lady's  cheek, 
brow,  and  throat  were  suffused  with  the  deepest 
and  most  lovely  crimson  :  she  gently  struggled  to 
release  her  captive  hand ;  but,  finding  that  there  was 
just  one  degree  more  force  exerted  to  retain  it  than 
she  exercised  to  withdraw  it,  she  prudently  gave 
up  so  hopeless  a  contest,  and  began  very  naturally 
to  ask  questions. 

"  Why,  when  did  you  arrive  ? — how  long  have 
you  been  gone  ?  Oh  !  it  seems  an  age  since  you 
left  us — and  how  you  are  tanned !" 

"  I  arrived  this  morning,"  at  length  answered 
the  seaman  ;  the  mutual  delight  of  their  meeting 
rendering  him,  for  a  time,  as  inarticulate  as  it  did 
her  voluble ;  "  and  I  have  been  gone  six  months. 
Time  has  stood  still  with  me,  dearest  Julia,  I  as- 
sure you  ;  and  besides,  I  have  had  such  a  tedious 
passage  home,  that  I  began  at  last  to  think  I  was 
never  to  be  blessed  with  another  fair  wind.  I  need 
not  ask  how  you  have  been  during  that  time,"  he 
continued,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  her  lovely  coun- 
tenance with  unutterable  affection. 

No  woman  was  ever  insensible  to  a  compliment, 
even  an  implied  one,  to  her  looks.  Julia  raised 
her  liquid  eyes  to  his  with  a  blush  and  a  smile,  so 
frank  and  unreserved,  that  his  six  months'  absence 
and  tedious  homeward  passage  he  would  gladly 
endure  twice  ever  again  to  meet. 

There  are  moments  in  courtship — that  part  of 


3*2  THE      PIRATE 

it,  I  mean,  where  neither  party  has  as  yet  whis- 
pered love  to  each  other,  or  bothered  the  old  folks 
about  their  consent ;  before,  in  short,  it  has  become 
an  "  understood  thing"  all  over  town — there  are 
such  moments,  when  the  lady  throws  off  all 
reserve,  and  by  a  look,  a  smile,  a  blush,  a  half- 
articulate  word,  repays  her  lover  for  months,  if 
he  is  fool  enough  to  court  so  long,  of  prudish  and 
affected  shyness,  past  or  future.  These  moments 
occur  but  seldom,  even  in  the  most  patriarchal 
courtships,  and  it  is  well  that  it  is  so.  Love  is  a 
fiery  steed,  and  should  always  be  ridden  with  a 
curb  bridle,  both  before  and  after  marriage.  (I  am 
sorry  that  I  cannot  think  of  a  nautical  metaphor, 
or  I  assure  you,  reader,  that  I  would  never  have 
gone  into  the  stable  to  look  for  one.)  The  ancients, 
and  their  opinion  is  decisive,  ever  held  the  "  semi- 
reducta  Venus"  the  most  beautiful. 

Leaving  these  turtles  to  bill  and  coo  over  a  cup 
of  tea,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  lover's  walk 
along  the  lovely  banks  of  the  Severn,  we  will  pro- 
ceed to  enlighten  the  reader  as  to  who  and  what 
they  are,  and  to  discuss  sundry  other  equally  im- 
portant topics. 

As  the  good  ship  Bristol  Trader  was  lazily  roll- 
ing along  in  a  southerly  direction,  with  a  light 
breeze  and  fine  weather,  and  in  the  latitude  of 
about  thirty-nine  or  forty  north,  she  fell  in  with 
the  wreck  of  a  schooner,  of  about  eighty  or  ninety 
tons  burthen,  dismasted  and  apparently  half  full 
of  water,  in  which  most  unpleasant  situation  she 


OFMASAFUERO.  353 

did  not  appear  long  to  have  been.  The  Bristol 
Trader  hove  to,  and  sent  her  boat  alongside,  in 
hopes  of  obtaining  something  valuable  from  the 
wreck,  either  cargo,  or  provisions,  or  rigging — if 
a  wreck  yields  nothing  else,  there  is  always  plenty 
offish  around  it.  As  the  boat  approached,  the 
attention  of  the  crew  was  attracted  by  the  appear- 
ance of  some  person  on  board,  who  made  the  most 
animated  and  intelligible  signs  to  them  to  come 
alongside.  The  boat's  crew  redoubled  their  exer- 
tions, and,  upon  coming  on  board,  found  a  boy  of 
about  fourteen  years,  the  only  living  human  being. 
The  poor  little  fellow  seemed  almost  exhausted 
with  fatigue  and  hunger ;  but  being  carried  on 
board  the  ship  and  refreshed,  he  informed  his 
deliverers  that  his  name  was  George  Allerton — 
that  the  schooner  belonged  to  a  port  in  New 
England,  and  was  homeward  bound  from  Fayal 
with  a  quantity  of  wine  and  fruit — that  she  had 
been  capsized,  in  a  sudden  and  violent  squall, 
three  days  previous,  when  all  the  crew  but  him- 
self and  one  other  were  swept  overboard — that 
she  had  righted  after  cutting  away  the  masts,  but 
with  a  great  deal  of  water  in  the  hold,  and  that 
the  other  man  had  accidentally  fallen  overboard, 
and  was  drowned. 

It  happened  that  the  owner  of  the  ship,  Mr.  Ef- 
fingham,  was  on  board.  He  was  going  to  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  partly  on  account  of  his  health,  but  chiefly 
to  look  after  and  secure  a  large  amount  of  property 
belonging  to  the  firm  of  which  he  was  senior  part- 
so 


354  THEPIRATE 

ner,  and  which  was  jeopardised  by  certain  dis- 
turbances in  Brazil.  Like  all  passengers  on  board 
a  ship,  he  could  find  but  little  or  nothing  to  do  to 
pass  a\vay  the  time,  and  being  a  married  man  and 
a  father,  his  sympathies  and  good  feelings  were 
powerfully  excited  and  strongly  attracted  towards 
this  "  waif  of  the  sea,"  their  new  passenger.  The 
boy,  on  the  other  hand,  to  a  very  handsome  face 
added  a  mild  and  amiable  disposition,  and,  like  all 
New-England  boys,  an  education  vastly  superior 
to  boys  of  the  same  age  and  standing  in  Great 
Britain.  George's  parents  were  respectable  in 
some  sort — that  is  to  say,  their  moral  and  religious 
characters  were  beyond  reproach,  but  their  social 
reputation  was  very  bad  indeed — they  were  poor. 
It  has  been  said  by  an  English  traveller,  that  in 
all  other  countries  pleasure,  rank,  literary  renown, 
&c.  are  the  objects  upon  which  men  place  their 
affections ;  but,  in  the  United  States,  the  pursuit 
of  wealth  is  an  imperious  duty  ;  and,  of  course,  if 
a  man  fails  in  this  duty,  his  good  name  as  a  mem- 
ber of  society  soon  becomes  most  deplorably  out  at 
elbows. 

Before  the  end  of  the  voyage,  young  Allerton 
had  made  himself  master  of  Mr.  Eflingham's  affec- 
tions, and  being  of  that  happy  age  when  all  places 
are  nearly  alike,  provided  they  are  comfortable,  he 
readily  consented  to  remain  with  his  protector, 
and  was  accordingly  regularly  inducted  into  the 
old  gentleman's  family  as  a  member  of  it.  He  was 
the  playmate  of  Mr.  Effingham's  daughter,  six 


OFMASAFUERO.  355 

years  younger  than  himself,  and  the  companion  of 
her  rambles  abroad.  The  old  man  wished  to  take 
him  into  his  counting-room  as  a  clerk, but  the  boy's 
predilection  for  the  sea  frustrated  that  scheme,  and 
the  senior,  after  some  reflection  and  persuasion, 
yielded  to  it.  Accordingly  Master  George,  having 
served  a  noviciate  as  apprentice,  stepped  over  the 
intermediate  state  of  "  able  seaman,"  and  became 
second  mate,  then  first  mate,  and  lastly  captain,  or 
more  properly  master.  During  the  whole  of  this 
time,  he  was  employed  in  the  West  India  trade,  in 
which  most  of  the  Bristol  merchants  are  engaged 
more  extensively  than  in  any  other.  He  never 
came  home  from  a  voyage  without  bringing  some 
curiosity  to  little  Julia, — as  he  continued  to  call 
her,  even  after  she  had  attained  her  eighteenth 
year, — and  never  failed  writing  frequently  to  his 
parents,  and  sending  them  the  whole  or  a  greater 
part  of  his  wages  :  a  line  of  conduct  that  raised 
him  incredibly  in  the  old  gentleman's  favor,  and 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  young  mind  of 
Julia. 

While  George  was  passing  through  the  different 
grades  of  his  profession,  the  young  lady  was  ad- 
vancing through  the  different  grades  of  physical 
and  intellectual  beauty  and  improvement.  The 
"pretty  child"  that  played  in  her  father's  parlor, 
the  "  elegant  girl  of  the  boarding-school,  had  now 
become  a  most  lovely  and  accomplished  young 
lady.  She  had  lost  her  mother  when  young,  and 
the  whole  force  of  her  filial  affection  had  centred 


556  THEPIRATE 

upon  her  father.  Brought  up  in  unreserved  inti- 
macy with  her  father's  new  protege,  she  always 
regarded  him  as  a  brother,  or  rather  as  her  equal. 
She  always  anxiously  awaited  his  return  from  sea, 
though  she  did  not,  in  her  more  youthful  days, 
exactly  understand  why.  When  her  beauty 
brought  wealth  and  rank  to  her  feet,  she  could  not 
avoid  comparing  their  possessors  with  the  nautical 
absentee. 

"  Sir  Reginald  Bentley  is  not  half  so  handsome 
a  man  as  George  ;  Lord  Dormington,  although  he 
has  travelled  over  all  Europe,  and  has  besides  a 
seat  in  the  House  of  Lords,  is  not,  after  all,  half 
so  well  informed  as  George ;  the  Honorable  Adol- 
phus  Fitz  William  dresses  very  expensively  and 
fashionably,  but  his  clothes  do  not  fit  him  so  well 
as  George's  ;  and  as  for  that  wine-swilling  brute, 
Squire  Foxley,  I  would  not  be  condemned  to  marry 
such  a  man  for  the  world."  So  she  dismissed 
them  all,  "  cum  multis  aliis." 

On  the  other  hand,  her  father  had  acquired  as 
much  affection  for  George  as  for  a  son,  and  treated 
him  as  such ;  though  he  never  dreamed  that  his 
daughter  might  from  his  behavior  be  led  one  day 
to  select  him  as  a  husband.  When  his  daughter 
rejected  one  wealthy  or  titled  suitor  after  another, 
he  thought  nothing  strange  of  it ;  Sir  Reginald 
was  a  gambler,  his  lordship  a  fool,  Fitz  William  a 
dandy,  Foxley  a  sot,  and  so  of  the  rest ;  he  only 
saw  in  her  rejection  of  them  proofs  that  she  pos- 
sessed more  good  sense  and  prudence  than  he  was 


OFMASAFUERO.  357 

generally  willing  to  admit  that  any  of  her  sex  pos- 


About  two  years  before  the  events  mentioned  in 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  George  had  sailed 
on  his  first  voyage  as  master  of  the  ship  Hebe. 
He  had  been  gone  about  five  months,  and  Julia, 
with  a  feeling  that  she  did  not  pretend  to  under- 
stand or  think  to  analyze,  had  been  day  after  day 
inquiring  about  him,  when  one  evening  her  father 
informed  her  that  the  Hebe  had  arrived  safely  in 
London.  The  joy  that  she  felt  and  expressed  in 
the  most  lively  manner,  was  damped  by  the  farther 
intelligence  that  he  was  to  return  to  Barbadoes 
as  soon  as  possible,  without  visiting  Effingham 
House.  When  she  retired  to  her  chamber,  she 
seated  herself  by  the  window,  and  seriously  began 
to  ask  herself  why  she  felt  such  pleasure  at  hear- 
ing of  his  safe  arrival,  and  why  the  disappoint- 
ment at  not  seeing  him  was  so  exceedingly  painful. 
Her  own  good  sense  answered  the  question,  after 
a  short  reflection. 

"  It  is,  it  must  be  love  ;  I  do  love  him,  and  that 
most  sincerely;"  and  she  gave  way  to  a  burst  of 
irrepressible  but  soothing  tears.  "  And  why  should 
I  not  ?"  she  reasoned, {t  is  he  not  every  thing  that 
heart  can  desire — handsome,  well  educated,  and 
generous  ?  and  does  not  my  father  love  him  as  a 
son  ?  But  my  father  may  not  consent,"  she  con- 
tinued, again  weeping,  "and  I  must  endeavor  to 
conquer  an  affection  that  has  been  growing  silently 

30* 


358  THEPIRATE 

but  rapidly  for  years  ;  it  is  impossible,  I  know, 
but  I  will  make  the  attempt." 

The  old  man,  too,  could  not  but  notice  the  dif- 
ferent effects  of  the  two  items  of  intelligence  he  had 
that  evening  communicated.  "  What  could  ail  Julia 
when  I  told  her  that  George  was  going  to  sea 
again  without  coming  home  ?  the  poor  girl  was 
ready  to  cry  :  he's  a  fine  young  fellow,  that's  cer- 
tain, and  they've  been  brought  up  together  like 
brother  and  sister  ;  so  I  suppose  it  is  natural  that 
she  loves  him  like  a  brother  :  I  have  half  a  mind 
to  write  to  him  to  scamper  across  the  country,  and 
see  us  for  a  couple  of  days  ;  but  I  dare  say  he's 
too  busy/'  With  these  reflections  the  merchant 
dropped  asleep,  and  dreamed  of  "  Africa  and  golden 
joys." 

Upon  Captain  Allerton's  subsequent  return, 
Julia's  determination  to  avoid  him  and  to  stifle  her 
attachment  to  him  vanished,  like  most  resolutions 
of  the  kind  that  young  ladies  are  in  the  habit  of 
forming,  and  she  gave  herself  up  to  the  illusions  of 
that  bewitching  passion,  without  knowing — and, 
when  enjoying  his  society,  certainly  without  think- 
ing— how  it  would  end ;  and  as  for  her  father,  he, 
good  easy  man,  had  done  thinking  about  it  alto- 
gether :  not  that  his  affection  for  her  was  in  any 
wise  abated,  but  his  mind  was  taken  up  with  some- 
thing else  more  engrossing,  and,  as  perhaps  he 
thought,  more  important,  than  watching  the  actions 
of  two  young  people. 

After  tea,  Captain  Allerton  and  Julia  took  a  walk 


OPMASAPUERO.  359 

upon  the  banks  of  the  river,  along  a  secluded 
green  lane,  that  had  often  witnessed  similar  ram- 
bles. After  a  long  pause,  during  which  each 
seemed  too  busy  with  their  own  peculiar  train  of 
thinking  to  regard  the  silence  of  the  other,  they 
stopped,  as  if  by  mutual  consent. 

"  And  so,  Julia,  your  father,  after  losing  so  much 
money  in  South  America,  is  going  there,  to  see  if 
he  can  grapple  any  of  it  up  from  the  mines  of 
Mexico,  or  wherever  else  it  has  sunk." 

"  He  is  certainly  going  to  South  America,  but  I 
never  knew  that  he  had  lost  much  money  by  his 
speculations  there." 

"  Nor  do  I  say  that  he  has,  but  as  every  body 
else  has,  I  do  not  see  how  he  can  have  escaped ;" 
and  then  added,  after  a  short  pause,  and  in  an 
embarrassed  and  tremulous  voice,  "  are  you,  tell 
me,  Julia,  are  you  going  with  him  ?" 

"  Me  !  no,  George ;  what  could  put  such  a  wild 
thought  into  your  head  ?" 

"  And  what  then  is  to  become  of  you  during 
his  absence,  that  must  necessarily  be  a  long  one  ?" 

"  I  shall  remain  with  my  aunt  Selwyn  in  Bris- 
tol, till  she  returns  to  Clifton." 

"  Julia,  you  know  that  I  love  you,  and  you 
have  given  me  reason  to  believe  that  I  am  far 
from  indiiferent  to  you  ;  then  why  not,  my  dearest 
girl,  give  me  the  right  to  protect  and  provide  for 
you  at  once,  instead  of  delegating  it  to  a  maiden 
aunt,  who,  whatever  may  be  her  good  qualities, 


360  THEPIRATE 

has,  as  you  know,  always  regarded  me  with  dis- 
like and  jealousy." 

"I  cannot,  George,  without  my  father's  con- 
sent." 

"  Your  hand,  then,  goes  where  he  chooses  to 
bestow  it,  let  your  affections  be  where  they  will." 

"  It  is  a  duty  that  I  owe  to  him  to  attend  to  his 
wishes,  and  listen  to  his  advice." 

"  So  then,  if  he  advises  you  to  marry  the  fool 
Dormington,  or  the  brute  Foxley,  you  obey  unhe- 
sitatingly ?" 

"  George,  this  is  unkind  ;  you  are  supposing  an 
extreme  case." 

"  But  you  say  you  will  obey  him  ;  you  repeat 
that  it  is  your  duty  to  listen  to  his  advice  in  all 
cases." 

"  I  will  never  marry  without  his  consent,  but  I 
will  never  marry  any  one  that  I  dislike." 

"  That  is  intimating,  rather  obliquely,  to  be 
sure,  that  you  may  alter  your  mind." 

"O  George,  George,"  said  the  weeping  girl, 
"  why  will  you  continue  to  torment  me  and  your- 
self with  these  jealous  doubts  and  suspicions  ? 
why  will  you  not  rather  ask  my  father's  consent  ? 
you  know  his  affection  for  you." 

"  Yes,  propose  such  a  question,  and  what  is  the 
reply  ?  a  peremptory  refusal,  and  an  immediate 
dismissal  from  his  employment.  Now  that  his 
mind  is  so  much  taken  up  with  his  new  scheme, 
such  a  proceeding  would  be  little  short  of  mad- 
ness. Be  mine,  then,  at  once." 


OPMASAFUERO.  361 

"  I  dare  not." 

"  But  suppose,  what  is  by  no  means  impossible, 
nay,  rather  likely  to  happen,  that  he  should  deter- 
mine to  fix  himself  in  Mexico,  or  Lima,  or  some 
other  South  American  city,  as  foreign  partner  of 
the  house  T 

"  I  cannot  believe  such  an  event  possible,  but  if 
it  should — "  she  turned  away  her  head. 

"  Do  I  interpret  your  silence  right,  Julia  ?  would 
you  indeed  be  mine  1  speak  to  me,  Julia."  She 
made  no  other  answer  than  a  sigh,  but  still  kept 
her  head  averted.  By  this  time  they  had  reached 
the  house. 

As  soon  as  they  were  seated  in  the  drawing- 
room,  the  lover  again  urged  her  to  "  make  signal 
of  his  hope ;" — she  raised  her  eyes,  swimming  in 
tears,  in  which  an  affirmative  was  plainly  to  be 
read.  The  entrance  of  a  servant  prevented  the 
happy  lover  from  proceeding  to  extremities  upon 
her  lips,  "  according  to  the  statute  in  such  case 
made  and  provided ;"  and  a  very  excellent  statute 
it  is  too.  Whether  the  "quashing  of  proceed- 
ings" by  the  inopportune  appearance  of  the  ser- 
vant was  agreeable  to  either  party,  I  leave  to  wiser 
heads  than  mine  to  determine. 

Many  very  well-meaning  people,  who  pass  for 
men  of  sense  in  every  other  respect,  are  apt,  when 
they  feel  matrimonially  inclined,  to  think  it  indis- 
pensably necessary  to  court  the  old  folks,  "  ham- 
mer and  tongs,"  as  the  vulgar  saying  is,  in  the 
first  place,  and,  having  obtained  their  good  graces, 


362  THE      PIRATE,      ETC. 

to  proceed  very  leisurely  in  their  approaches  to 
the  young  lady.  This  may  be  a  very  prudent 
mode  of  managing  matters,  for  aught  I  know,  but 
to  me  it  savors  rather  of  cold-blooded  calculation, 
than  ardent  or  even  passably  warm  affection.  It 
is,  besides,  a  gross  and  unpardonable  insult  to  the 
said  young  lady,  whom  it  places  immediately  upon 
a  level  with  a  horse,  a  pig,  a  cow,  a  load  of  hay, 
a  chest  of  drawers,  or  any  other  article  of  trade. 
It  is  like  a  man-of-war  going  in  to  engage  an 
enemy's  battery,  and  heaving  to,  to  "  blaze  away" 
at  two  old  dismantled  hulks  that  are  lying  high 
and  dry  at  the  harbor's  mouth. 


CHAPTER     IV. 


Parolles.    My  lord,  I  am  a  man  whom  fortune  hath  ciuelly  scratched. 
Lafeu.    Well,  what  would  you  have  me  to  do  ?  'tis  too  late  to  pare  her 
nails  now. 

ALL'S  WELL  THAT  ENDS  WELL. 

There  never  was  yet  fair  woman  but  she  made  mouths  in  a  glass. 

KINO  LEAR. 


JULIA  EFFINGHAM  was  the  only  child  of  a  rich 
merchant,  who,  like  many  others  in  these  latter 
days,  when  scheming  and  speculation  have  super- 
seded the  good,  old-fashioned  habits  of  steady  in- 
dustry and  unmoveable  perseverance  in  the  art  of 
acquiring  wealth,  was  dazzled  by  the  one  thou- 
sand and  one  bubbles  that  the  South  American 
revolution  set  afloat.  He  dipped  pretty  largely 
into  Mexican  mines,  and  was  bit ;  he  undertook 
to  improve  the  breed  of  horses  in  Peru,  and  was 
bit ;  he  attempted  to  establish  steam  cotton-facto- 
ries in  Colombia,  and  was  bit ;  he  bought  largely 
into  a  Chilian  Steam-boat  Company,  and  was  bit ; 
till,  finally,  he  resolved  to  visit  South  America 
himself,  "  to  see,"  as  he  expressed  it,  "  where  the 


564  THEPIRATE 

devil  his  fifty  thousand  pounds  had  gone  to."  He 
could  obtain  no  tidings  of  a  single  farthing  on  the 
Atlantic  side  of  that  continent  ;  but  he  learned 
one  thing  most  thoroughly  and  satisfactorily,  as 
thousands  have  done  besides  him,  that  if  he  had 
gone  there  in  the  first  place,  and  seen  the  naked- 
ness of  the  land,  and  the  deplorable  and  remedi- 
less ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people,  his 
fifty  thousand  pounds  would  have  snugly  re- 
mained in  the  three  per  cents,  and  India  bonds. 
He  was  determined,  however,  now  that  he  was 
fairly  afloat,  to  "  go  the  whole  figure,"  and  see 
the  worst,  if  there  was  any  thing  worse  to  come. 
Accordingly  he  took  passage  for  Valparaiso,  where 
he  found  how,  why,  and  wherefore  his  steam-boat 
concern  had  become  a  decided  take-in  ;  it  is  not 
very  profitable  running  a  boat  of  that  kind  in  a 
country  where  wood  sells  at  three  cents  per  pound 
on  the  beach,  and  where  the  people  have  no  idea 
of  travelling  except  in  the  saddle. 

Chili,  then  under  the  directorship  of  O'Higgins, 
was  the  only  South  American  province  that 
seemed  to  have  changed  for  the  better,  by  re- 
nouncing its  allegiance  to  "Ferdinand  the  Be- 
loved." Its  ports  were  thrown  open  to  foreign 
commerce ;  its  navy  was  respectable,  for  the  ships, 
the  officers,  and  the  seamen  were  English  or  Ame- 
ricans ;  its  inhabitants  had  become  quite  civilized 
and  tame,  for  the  murdered  foreigners  in  the 
streets  of  Valparaiso  did  not  average  much  more 
than  one  or  two  per  night ;  which,  compared  with 


OFMASAPUERO.  365 

Havana  and  Buenos  Ayres,  gave  Chili  a  prepon- 
derance of  refinement  scarcely  credible.  Mr.  Ef- 
fingham  was  highly  delighted  with  the  country  ; 
and  indeed  Chili,  setting  aside  the  inhabitants,  for 
the  salubrity  and  mildness  of  its  climate,  the  fer- 
tility of  its  soil,  and  the  variety  and  delicacy  of 
its  fruits  and  vegetables,  is  certainly  one  of  the 
finest  countries  in  the  world.  He  found  many 
Englishmen  established  in  various  sections  of  the 
country,  and  the  better  sort  of  inhabitants  very 
much  disposed  to  treat  them  with  kindness  and 
urbanity. 

He  had  been  about  eighteen  months  in  St.  Jago 
when  he  sent  for  his  daughter,  who  now  consti- 
tuted the  whole  of  his  family ;  his  English  busi- 
ness he  knew  was  safe  in  the  management  of  his 
partner,  and  he  sat  himself  down  with  the  deter- 
mination of  making  a  magnificent  fortune  very 
much  at  his  ease.  Poor  man  !  he  little  dreamed 
that  the  whole  of  South  America  is  as  infamous 
for  revolutions  as  it  is  for  earthquakes. 

Having  said  thus  much  concerning  the  father 
of  Julia  Effingham,  it  is  but  fair  to  give  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  lady  herself.  Indeed,  in  strict 
gallantry,  I  suspect  that  I  ought  to  have  intro- 
duced her  first,  but  she  has  already  been  upon  the 
stage,  and  "  made  her  obedience,"  as  sailors  call 
it,  to  the  audience  ;  and,  besides,  age  has  claims 
that  ought  to  be  attended  to. 

In  person,  then,  Julia  was  not  remarkably  tall, 
(I  don't  like  tall  women  ;  "  a  man  never  ought  to 

31 


366  T  HE     P  I  RATE 

look  up  to  his  wife  for  a  kiss  or  for  advice  ;")  her 
form  had  all  that  graceful  and  delicate  roundness 
and  fullness  of  outline  so  irresistibly  pleasing  to 
the  eye.  "  Man,"  says  an  elegant  writer  upon 
natural  history,  contrasting  the  two  sexes,  "  man 
is  most  angular,  woman  most  round."  Euclid 
himself  could  not  have  detected  any  thing  angular 
in  the  faultless  form  of  Julia  Effingham  ;  nothing 
resembling  his  "  Asses'  Bridge,"  or  his  "  Wind- 
mill" problems,  in  the  fall  of  her  shoulders,  the 
bend  of  her  snowy  neck,  the  delicate  round  of  her 
chin,  the  delicious  fulness  of  her  ripe  lip,  the  easy 
turn  of  her  rosy  cheeks,  the  graceful  curve  of  her 
brow.  Her  nose  was  indeed  a  straight  Grecian 
one,  but  not  geometrically  straight. 

It  must  be  admitted,  by  the  way,  that  there  are 
more  decidedly  good  noses  among  women  than 
among  men.  The  latter  are  aquiline,  Roman, 
parrot,  pug,  snub,  thick,  thin,  long,  short,  peaked, 
bottle — some  with  a  bump  in  the  middle,  some 
with  a  cleft,  or  fissure,  and  some  with  a  button,  or 
knob,  at  the  end,  like  that  on  a  man-of-war's  boat- 
hook.  In  short,  to  describe  all  the  various  kinds 
of  noses  masculine,  it  would  be  necessary  for  phi- 
lologians  to  create  a  new  batch  of  adjectives,  as 
the  king  of  England  does  occasionally  of  peers. 

I  have  already  said,  or  meant  to  be  understood 
to  say,  that  Miss  Effingham  was  somewhat  in- 
clined to  embonpoint.  I  do  not  pretend  to  know 
the  reason  of  this ;  perhaps  leanness  and  emacia- 
tion were  not  considered  genteel  when  she  hap- 


OPMASAPTIERO.  367 

pened  to  be  educated,  as  they  are  unfortunately 
by  too  many  of  my  fair  countrywomen  ;  perhaps 
she  never  thought  much  about  it ;  for  I  have  al- 
ways observed  that  very  beautiful  women,  who 
prefer  revolving  in  the  quiet  circle  of  domestic 
happiness  and  usefulness,  are  seldom  or  never 
very  anxiously  solicitous  about  their  beauty ;  and 
the  consequence  is,  that  they  are  more  beautiful, 
and  stand  the  attacks  of  time  far  better,  than  those 
who  choose  a  life  of  fashionable  display,  and  court 
public  admiration.  Ladies  may  lace  tight,  eat 
pickles,  and  drink  vinegar,  to  make  them  genteel ; 
but  it  is  free  exercise  in  the  open  air,  and  simpli- 
city of  diet,  provided  it  is  nutritious,  that  confer 
gentility  and  grace,  and  preserve  beauty.  Will 
any  man,  married  or  single,  and  in  the  possession 
of  his  senses,  say  that  he  likes  the  looks  of  a  horse 
whose  ribs  are  visible  and  countable  at  half  a 
mile's  distance  ?  I  am  confident  the  answer  will 
be,  no. 

£>till  there  is  a  wonderful  resemblance  between 
a  lean  woman  and  a  lean  horse,  in  more  points 
than  one  ;  the  lady  does  not,  indeed,  go  upon  all 
fours,  but  I  can  never  see  a  very  genteel  female, 
laced  into  the  shape  of  an  hour-glass,  without 
wishing,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that  she 
had  an  extra  pair  of  le — ahem ! — ancles,  to  sup- 
port her  feeble  and  tottering  frame. 

As  I  am  growing  old,  and  am,  moreover,  some- 
what peculiarly  circumstanced,  I  suppose  that  I 
must  put  up  with  such  a  wife  as  it  pleases  God  to 


568  THEPIRATE 

send  me  ;  but  were  I  ten  or  fifteen  years  younger, 
and  "  well  to  do,"  I  would  accept  of  no  descendant 
of  mother  Eve,  as  a  help-mate  and  partner  for  life, 
who  did  not  cut  at  least  two  inches  on  the  ribs. 
The  Turks,  who  are  practical  men  of  taste  in 
these  things  ;  the  Chinese,  who  pretend  to  the 
highest  antiquity  in  civilization  ;  the  naked  Afri- 
cans and  South  Sea  Islanders,  beyond  dispute  the 
most  unsophisticated  of  all  father  Adam's  children, 
and  who,  like  Job,  "  retain  their  integrity"  pretty 
stiffly,  considering  the  missionaries,  the  "  march 
of  intellect,"  and  other  untoward  circumstances, 
are  all  of  them  most  decidedly  in  favor  of  some- 
thing substantial  in  wedlock  ;  no  man  of  taste,  in 
either  of  these  nations,  ever  dreams  of  comfort  and 
happiness  in  matrimony,  unless  he  clasps  to  his 
bosom  an  armful  of  wife.  They  choose  their 
wives  as  we  do  lobsters — the  heaviest  are  the  best. 

I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  maxim  that  mind 
and  matter  exert  a  mutual  influence  upon  each 
other,  and  one  of  the  most  obvious  deductions 
from  that  datum  that  occurs  to  my  mind  is.  that 
the  acidities  of  the  disposition  are  not  only  neu- 
tralized but  absolutely  shut  up  by  the  embonpoint 
of  the  body.  People  blessed  with  healthy  plump- 
ness are  indolent  as  well  as  good-natured,  and  it 
is  a  laborious  piece  of  business  for  such  folks  to 
get  in  a  passion. 

The  wealth  and  fondness  of  Julia's  father,  and 
her  own  natural  good  sense,  had  made  her  mis- 
tress of  all  those  elegant  and  fashionable  accom- 


OPMASAPUERO.  369 

plishments  that  constitute  the  education  of  a  lady 
of  fortune  ;  and  she  had  a  grace  and  sweetness  in 
every  thing  she  did  that  reminded  the  beholder  of 
that  exquisitely  beautiful  line  in  Ariosto  : 

"  She  walked — she  spoke — she  sang — and  heaven  was  there." 

,This  description  may  not  be  according  to  cer- 
tain received  axioms  concerning  female  beauty  ; 
but  I  never  could  bear  to  contemplate  a  fair  face 
and  graceful  form  as  painters  do,  who  measure 
woman's  loveliness  by  certain  fixed  and  arbitrary 
rules,  as  surveyors  of  lumber  do  boards.  Nothing 
makes  me  more  fidgetty  than  to  hear  a  man  com- 
pare every  beautiful  face  he  sees  with  a  certain 
standard,  even  if  that  standard  is  the  Venus  de 
Medicis  herself ;  this  face  is  not  good,  for  it  is  not 
exactly  oval ;  that  nose  is  altogether  wrong,  for  it 
is  not  Grecian  ;  a  chin  is  not  this,  or  a  mouth  is 
not  that,  &c.  Portrait  painters  are  much  addicted 
to  this  kind  of  criticism ;  and  whenever  I  find 
myself  in  company  with  one  of  these  two-foot-rule 
critics,  I  make  my  escape  from  him  as  I  would 
from  a  plague  hospital. 

At  the  time  of  our  narrative,  Julia's  father  had 
been  absent  somewhat  more  than  two  years.  He 
had  sent  for  her  to  join  him  at  Valparaiso,  a  sum- 
mons that  she  prepared  to  obey  with  no  small 
trepidation.  (<  The  course  of  true  love,"  which  is 
somewhat  notorious  for  "  never  running  smooth," 
seemed  at  this  moment  about  to  encounter  a  "  head 
sea."  Her  absence  from  England  she  knew  must 

31* 


370  THE      PIRATE,      ETC. 

be  a  long-  one,  perhaps  an  eternal  one  ;  the  sepa- 
ration from  Allerton  weighed  much  heavier  upon 
her  spirits  than  she  was  willing  to  admit,  and 
altogether  her  prospects  of  happiness  seemed  dark- 
ened for  ever. 

The  same  conveyance  that  brought  Julia's  let- 
ters also  brought  instructions  to  the  other  partners 
of  the  house  to  fit  out  two  vessels  for  the  Pacific, 
one  of  which  was  to  be  entrusted  to  the  command 
of  Captain  Allerton ;  but  Mr.  Efiinghain  omitted 
to  designate  which  of  the  two  was  to  be  honored 
by  being  for  some  months  the  floating  home  of  his 
fair  daughter ;  either  intending  it  should  be  left 
to  her  option,  or  taking  it  for  granted  that  his 
partner,  well  aware  of  the  intimacy  of  Allerton's 
standing  in  her  father's  family,  would  of  course 
place  Julia  on  board  the  ship  commanded  by 
George.  But  that  partner  was  a  crafty  old  fox, 
who  had  long  since  seen  the  growing  affection  of 
the  two  young  people/and,  with  all  that  eagerness 
to  destroy  happiness,  that  they  are  past  enjoying, 
that  characterizes  the  majority  of  old  people,  de- 
cided that  Miss  Julia  should,  for  a  time,  entrust 
her  person  and  fortunes  to  the  fatherly  care  of 
Captain  Burton,  a  sedate  old  Cornish  man  of  sixty 
years  of  age,  who  had  no  more  idea  of  love  than 
he  had  of  the  Chaldee  language. 


CHAPTER    V. 


Should  a  man  full  of  talk  be  justified  1    O  that  ye  would  altogether  hold 
your  peace ;  and  it  should  be  your  wisdom. 

JOB,  Ch.  xi.  2  ;  xiii.  5. 


VOYAGES  across  the  Atlantic  are  now  performed 
every  day  by  old  and  young  women  and  children, 
and  described  by  them  so  much  more  elegantly 
and  scientifically,  and  with  so  much  more  correct 
knowledge  of  the  technicalities  necessary  for  such 
descriptions,  than  it  is  possible  that  seafaring  men 
can  ever  attain,  that  if  one  of  the  latter,  in  a  mo- 
ment of  mental  hallucination,  was  to  undertake  to 
convey  an  idea  of  the  element  that  has  been  his 
home  for  years,  he  would  be  hissed  off  the  stage 
as  another  Munchausen.  For  this  reason  nau- 
tical men,  who  have  laid  aside  the  marlinspike 
and  taken  up  the  pen,  very  prudently  avoid  that 
portion  of  the  literary  arena,  leaving  Daddy  Nep- 
tune's dominions  to  be  explored  and  described  by 
landsmen. 

It  is  in  obedience  to  public  opinion  in  this  re- 


37i  T  H  E      P  I  R  A  T  K 

spect,  I  suppose,  that  our  Secretaries  of  the  Navy 
are  almost  uniformly  chosen  from  the  "  mass  of 
the  people,"  at  the  greatest  possible  distance  from 
high-water  mark ;  men  who  have  never  seen  a 
piece  of  water  that  they  could  not  jump  across, 
or  a  ship,  except  in  the  newspaper,  till  they  came 
to  Washington.  "  Let  the  sea  make  a  noise,  and 
the  fulness  thereof;  let  the  floods  clap  their  hands" 
for  joy,  that  the  Cooks  and  the  Falconers,  the 
Ansons  and  the  Byrons,  of  olden  time,  are  at 
length  banished  from  the  department  of  nautical 
literature,  and  no  oceanic  description  will  be  lis- 
tened to  unless  said  or  sung  by  a  ci-devant  mid- 
shipman or  a  half-boy,  half-woman  poet,  who  lies 
in  his  berth,  and  sees,  through  the  four-inch-plank 
deadlight  of  a  packet,  the  full  moon  rising  in  the 
west.  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  Esq. — I  give  the 
man  his  entire  name  and  title,  as  he  seems  to  in- 
sist upon  it  upon  all  occasions — the  "  American 
Walter  Scott,"  is  undisputably  at  the  very  head 
of  his  trade  at  the  present  day  for  nautical  de- 
scriptions :  his  terrestrial  admirers  have  pro- 
nounced him  "  a  practical  seaman  ;"  and,  of 
course,  the  only  man  in  these  United  States  that 
can  give  any,  even  an  approximate  idea  of  the 
sea,  and  "  those  that  go  down  in  ships."  I  have 
at  my  pen's  end  six  or  eight  very  desperate 
"cases"  of  his  knowledge  of  "practical  seaman- 
ship" and  maritime  affairs,  which  may  be  found 
in  the  «  Red  Rover"  and  "  Water  Witch"  passim; 
but  those  animals,  vulgarly  called  critics,  but 


OFMASAFUERO.  373 

more  politely  and  properly  at  present,  reviewers, 
whom  the  New  York  Mirror  defines  to  be  "  great 
dogs,  that  go  about  unchained  and  growl  at  every 
thing  they  do  not  comprehend,"  these  dogs  have 
dragged  the  lion's  hide  partly  off,  and  ascertained, 
what  every  man,  to  whom  the  Almighty  has 
vouchsafed  an  ordinary  share  of  cpmmon  sense, 
had  all  along  suspected,  that  it  covered  an  ass. 
James  Penimore  Cooper,  Esquire's  "  Letter  to  his 
Countrymen"  was  an  explosion  of  folly  and  ab- 
surdity that  has  blown  his  name  up  so  high,  that 
there  is  little  or  no  chance  of  its  coming  down 
again  "this  king's  reign."  Whether  he  was  or 
was  not  hired  to  write  it  to  support  the  present 
administration,  as  some  folks  suspect,  is  not  my 
affair.  I  will,  therefore,  resume  the  thread  of  my 
discourse,  which  was  only  "  belayed"  for  a  few 
minutes,  to  indulge  in  the  rare  pleasure  of  grum- 
bling a  little  at  seeing 

"  Fools  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread." 

Julia  Effingham  was  embarked  on  board  the 
lafge,  burthensome,  and  not  alarmingly  fast  sailing 
brig  Avon — John  Burton,  master ;  while  the  ship 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Allerton  was 
called  the  Hyperion.  Both  vessels  were  nearly  of 
the  same  tonnage,  though  there  was  much  differ- 
ence in  their  rates  of  sailing,  the  Hyperion  having 
been  built  as  near  the  model  of  a  swift  American 
ship  as  the  English  naval  architect's  conscience 
would  let  him,  which,  however,  did  not  allow  him 


374  THEPIRATE 

any  greater  latitude  than  such  as  made  a  very  ob- 
vious difference  in  their  appearance  and  rate  of 
speed.  Miss  Effingham  was  accompanied  by  her 
maid,  Miss  Dolly,  alias  Dorothea,  Hastings.  No- 
thing material  occurred  for  the  first  six  weeks  of 
their  voyage,  by  which  time  they  had  nearly 
reached  the  equator,  except  that  Allerton  im- 
proved every  opportunity  afforded  by  light  breezes 
and  calms  to  visit  the  Avon ;  which  visits  Cap- 
tain Burton,  honest  man  !  supposed  were  intended 
for  himself.  -  •  ,-~* 

But  at  this  period — that  is,  six  weeks  after  leav- 
ing the  Lizard  Point,  and  while  the  two  ships  were 
in  that  peculiarly  disagreeable  strip  of  salt  water 
that  lies  between  the  southern  limits  of  the  northeast 
trade-wind  and  the  northern  edge  of  the  southeast, 
and  is  affected  by  neither — there  came  on  one 
night  one  of  those  very  black  and  threatening 
squalls,  that  look  as  though  they  would  blow  the 
ocean  out  of  its  bed,  and  frequently  do  not  blow 
at  all.  Captain  Burton,  who  thought  a  squall  was 
a  squall  all  over  the  world,  and  who  was  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  Grand  Banks  and  the  Bay  of 
Biscay  than  with  the  tropics,  took  in  all  sail,  while 
the  Hyperion,  with  topgallant-sails  lowered,  ran 
gallantly  before  it,  and  made  upwards  of  fifty  miles 
before  the  breeze  left  her.  The  Avon  was  in  her 
turn  shortly  after  favored  with  a  fine  breeze,  but 
the  two  ships  did  not  meet  again  till  they  had 
passed  Cape  Horn. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Effingham  began  to  dis- 


OPMASAFUERO.  375 

cover  that  Chili  was  not  paradise,  nor  its  inhabit- 
ants saints ;  many  thefts,  robberies,  and  frauds, 
were  practised  upon  him,  for  which  he  could  ob- 
tain no  redress  from  the  contemptible  magistrates ; 
an  earthquake,  that  did  a  great  deal  of  damage, 
was  followed  by  a  sweeping  epidemic,  which,  as 
it  affected  only  the  natives,  was  imputed  by  the 
priests  to  magic  art  and  diabolical  witchcraft  on 
the  part  of  the  heretical  foreign  residents.  A  riot 
was  the  consequence,  and  the  foreigners  were 
only  able  to  secure  their  lives  and  property  by  a 
combination  of  their  numbers,  and  the  most  deter- 
mined firmness  of  purpose.  In  short,  the  harassed 
merchant  found  out  at  last  that  he  had  blundered 
into  one  of  those  self-styled  republics,  so  many  of 
which  have  sprung  up  and  passed  away  since  the 
commencement  of  the  nineteenth  century,  where 
infant  Liberty  is  nursed  by  mother  Mob. 

These  vexatious  circumstances,  and  the  pro- 
spect of  an  approaching  revolution,  that  threatened 
to  be  a  bloody  one,  completely  changed  his  senti- 
ments with  regard  to  all  South  American  govern- 
ments, and  he  bitterly  regretted  having  sent  for  his 
daughter  to  join  him. 

It  was  too  late  now  to  remedy  that  mis-step ;  but 
he  determined,  as  soon  as  she  arrived,  to  re-em- 
bark for  England  as  soon  as  possible,  and  in  con- 
sequence he  lost  no  time  in  disposing  of  his  mer- 
chandize, and  transmitting  his  funds  to  the  coast, 
and  thence  to  the  spirit-room  of  a  British  frigate. 
Having  thus  "set  his  house  in  order,"  and  ad- 


$76  THE     PIRATE,     ETC. 

justed  his  Chilian  books,  he  left  St.  Jago,  and  took 
up  his  abode  for  the  time  being  in  Valparaiso, 
waiting  impatiently  for  the  arrival  of  the  Hyperion 
and  Avon,  that  were  now  daily  expected. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Finally,  my  dear  hearers. 

OLD  SKRMONC. 

NOTHING  material  occurred  to  the  good  brig  Avon 
after  parting  company,  as  aforesaid,  with  her  con- 
sort, the  Hyperion ;  a  circumstance  that  I  regret 
not  a  little,  as  it  deprives  me  of  my  only  chance 
for  describing  a  storm  at  sea.  They  only  expe- 
rienced one  tornado,  and  fifteen  gales  of  wind,  be- 
fore joining  the  other  ship.  The  tornado  was  no 
great  things  after  all — the  brig  ran  merrily  before 
it,  under  a  reefed  foresail  and  close-reefed  main- 
topsail.  The  crew  were  all  on  deck  during  the 
whole  night  it  lasted,  in  case  of  their  services 
being  required.  But  the  females  below  had  by  far 
the  worst  of  it — they  were  "turned  in"  to  berths 
that  the  ship-joiner  had  built  with  reference  rather 
to  the  accommodation  of  an  able-bodied  man,  than 
a  delicate  young  lady ;  and  in  consequence,  poor 
Julia  was  dashed  first  against  the  vessel's  side,  and 
then  against  the  front  berth-board,  as  the  brig 
rolled  gunwales  under  at  every  motion,  till  she 
began  to  think  with  the  Frenchman,  that  she 
"  should  get  some  sleeps,  no,  not  never."  In  this 

32 


178  THEPIRATE 

dilemma  she  thought  of  taking  her  maid,  Miss 
Dorothea  Hastings,  into  the  berth  with  her,  where 
the  two  females,  operating  mutually  as  "  checks  " 
to  each  other,  eventually  made  out  a  very  passable 
night's  rest.  As  for  the  gales  of  wind,  they  were 
the  merest  flea-bites  in  creation,  though  one  of 
them  borrowed  the  brig's  fore-topmast,  and  an- 
other walked  away  with  her  jib-boom. 

During  this  period,  Benavidas  had  been  taken 
a  second  time  ;  and  as  his  captors  did  not  choose 
to  risk  shooting  him  again,  which  they  had  already 
practised  upon  him  once  without  success,  they 
hanged  him.  His  gang  were  nearly  all  killed  or 
taken  at  the  same  time,  and  the  prisoners  sum- 
marily dealt  with. 

Longford  and  about  thirty  more  made  their 
escape  in  a  small  schooner;  and  as  they  well 
knew  that  they  would  experience  no  other  mercy, 
if  taken,  than  a  high  gallows  and  short  halter,  they 
shaped  a  course  for  the  island  of  Masafuero,  which 
they  determined  to  make  their  head-quarters,  and 
to  commit  depredations  upon  all  vessels  that  passed 
which  were  not  too  well  armed.  They  effected  a 
landing  with  some  difficulty,  and  found,  as  they 
expected,  considerable  quantities  of  provisions  and 
stores,  that  had  been  deposited  among  the  deep 
fissures  of  the  rocks  by  Benavidas  some  time  pre- 
vious, when  his  affairs  on  the  continent  began  to 
assume  a  smoky  appearance.  Here  the  scattered 
but  desperate  remnant  of  his  lawless  followers 
found  a  temporary  respite  from  the  harassing 


OFMASAFUERO.  379 

pursuit  of  the  Chilenos,  that  resulted  every  day  in 
the  capture  and  immediate  execution  of  some  of 
their  number. 

The  landing-place  at  Masafuero,  with  the  open 
ground  beyond  it,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
broken  rocks  or  high  mountains,  makes  a  very 
beautiful  appearance  from  the  offing — anchorage, 
I  believe,  there  is  none.  It  is  a  gentle  slope,  front- 
ing the  northern  or  sunny  side  of  the  horizon, 
smooth,  and  of  most  delightful  verdure.  Perhaps 
it  appeared  more  lovely  to  me,  who  had  been 
groping  among  the  ices  of  the  ant-arctic  circle  for 
five  months  previous.  The  men  whom  we  had 
left  to  get  seal-skins  assured  me  the  soil  was  very 
rich  and  deep,  and  the  herbage  green  and  luxuri- 
ant. Since  commencing  these  chapters,  I  have 
been  informed  that  the  island  is  very  frequently 
visited  by  our  whalemen  for  supplies  of  wood  and 
young  goat's  flesh,  which  last  is  a  savory  morsel 
to  men  who  have  been  many  months  tumbling 
and  rolling  about  on  the  long  regular  swell  of  the 
Pacific.  The  waters  that  surround  the  island  are 
almost  literally  filled  with  fine  fish,  to  which 
sailors  have  given  the  general  name  of  "snappers," 
and  which  differ  from  any  fish  among  us,  more 
particularly  in  their  propensity  to  bite  as  greedily 
at  a  bare  hook  as  a  baited  one. 

It  was  here  that  the  pirates  lay  perdue,  waiting 
when  the  devil,  who  always  befriends  such  gentry, 
should  send  them  a  defenceless  prey.  They  were 
unable  to  anchor,  as  I  have  already  noticed  that 


380  THEPIRATB 

there  was  no  anchorage,  and  were  accordingly 
continually  on  the  move,  sometimes  extending 
their  researches  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  east- 
ward of  Juan  Fernandez,  which  lies  about  that 
distance  nearer  the  main  than  Masafuero. 

As  they  were  lying  to  one  morning,  off  the 
north-western  side  of  Fernandez,  they  were  sud- 
denly startled  by  the  unexpected  appearance  of  a 
large  brig  that  came  out  from  behind  the  western 
extremity  of  the  island,  and  edged  away  towards 
the  northward  and  eastward  under  all  sail.  It  was 
the  first  vessel  they  had  seen  since  they  had  set  up 
the  piratical  business  on  their  own  account  and 
risk,  except  an  English  "jackass  frigate,"  that 
chased  them  at  the  rate  of  one  mile  to  the 
schooner's  five.  The  Vincedor,  which  was  the 
name  of  the  schooner,  also  kept  away  and  made 
sail,  but  kept  yawing  about  in  a  manner  that 
excited  the  suspicions  of  the  people  on  board  the 
brig,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  manoeuvre  would 
soon  bring  the  schooner  alongside.  The  brig  now 
hoisted  the  English  ensign,  but  continued  on  her 
way  without  deviating  from  her  course.  The 
schooner  also  made  an  attempt  to  "  talk  bunting/' 
or  show  colors  ;  but  she  had  nothing  of  the  kind 
on  board  but  some  old  ragged  signals  that  formerly 
belonged  to  the  ill-fated  brig  Swan ;  and  one  of 
these  was  accordingly  run  up  to  the  end  of  the 
main  gaff.  Captain  Burton,  for  it  was  indeed  he 
and  the  brig  Avon,  after  attentively  examining  the 
stranger,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  she  was  a 


OPMASAFUERO.  381 

pirate,  and  directed  his  men  to  stand  to  their 
guns. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  schooner,  having  closed 
with  the  Avon,  fired  a  shot  across  her  bows,  which 
being  -unnoticed,  another  was  fired  that  passed 
through  her  foresail,  to  which  the  brig  replied 
with  three  guns  loaded  with  grape,  that  took  fatal 
effect  upon  the  exposed  and  crowded  deck  of  the 
Vincedor.  The  pirates  then  kept  up  a  heavy  and 
well-directed  fire  of  small  arms  upon  the  Avon, 
and  Captain  Burton,  seeing  several  of  his  best  men 
killed  and  wounded,  reluctantly  gave  orders  to 
haul  up  the  courses  and  back  the  main  yard,  still 
keeping  his  colors  flying. 

Longford  and  about  twenty  ruffians  like  himself 
immediately  came  on  board  ;  and  their  first  ques- 
tion to  Captain  Burton  was,  how  he  had  dared  to 
fire  upon  their  schooner  ? 

"Because,"  said  the  sturdy  old  seaman,  "  I  knew 
you  to  be  pirates,  and  I  was  determined  not  to 
surrender  this  vessel  without  some  resistance." 

During  this  speech,  Longford  raised  his  pistol, 
and  at  its  conclusion  fired ;  and  the  brave  old 
sailor,  shot  through  the  body,  and  mortally 
wounded,  fell  at  his  feet.  This  was  the  sig- 
nal for  a  general  massacre  of  the  crew ;  and 
while  the  bloody  act  was  perpetrating,  Longford 
ran  down  into  the  cabin,  to  secure  certain  arti- 
cles of  plunder  that  he  did  not  choose  to  share 
with  his  partners  in  crime  and  blood. 

Before  the   pirate   came  alongside  the   Avon, 

32* 


382  THEPIRATE 

Captain  Burton,  suspecting  her  real  character, 
had  requested  Julia  to  go  below  for  a  while,  on 
pretence  that  he  was  going  to  tack  ship,  and  she 
would  be  in  the  wayr  as  women  always  are  at  sea; 
of  the  head-braces  and  main-boom.  As  tbe  blunt 
old  veteran  never  used  much  ceremony  upon  such 
occasions,  she  thought  no  more  about  it,  but  went 
below  as  she  was  bid.  The  firing,  however,  had 
terrified  her  exceedingly  ;  and  Miss  Dorothy  Has- 
tings, who  was  sent  out  as  a  vidette  as  far  as  the 
upper  step  of  the  companion-ladder,  came  scam- 
pering back  to  the  main  body  with  intelligence 
that  the  stranger  was  a  pirate,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  enumerate  the  outrages  that  they 
might  certainly  calculate  upon  being  subjected  to. 
Almost  sinking  with  terror,  Julia  listened  with  a 
scarce-beating  heart  to  the  increased  trampling  of 
feet  on  deck,  the  oaths  of  the  pirates,  and  the 
report  of  a  pistol ;  and  when  the  murderer  Long- 
ford, splashed  with  poor  Burton's  blood,  suddenly 
appeared  before  her,  she  uttered  a  wild  shriek, 
and  sank  senseless  upon  the  cabin  floor. 

But  vengeance  was  on  its  way,  and  close  at 
hand.  While  the  pirates  were  busily  engaged  in 
murdering  the  unhappy  crew  of  the  Avon,  which 
they  did  not  accomplish  without  considerable  loss 
to  themselves,  for  the  gallant  fellows  fought  most 
desperately,  the  Hyperion  hove  in  sight  from  be- 
hind Fernandez,  following  the  track  of  her  con- 
sort. Captain  Allerton  had  heard  the  firing,  and, 
suspecting  all  was  not  right,  had  "  packed  on"  a 


OFMASAFTJERO.  383 

press  of  sail,  and  soon  came  within  short  musket- 
shot  of  the  schooner,  whose  hull  received  eight  or 
ten  round  shot,  but  her  sweeps  and  superiority  of 
sailing  on  a  wind,  enabled  her  to  escape.  Allerton 
then  steered  for  the  brig,  the  disordered  state  of 
whose  sails,  her  braces  loose  and  yards  flying  about 
as  the  wind  and  sea  pleased,  convinced  him  that  the 
pirates  had  been  on  board,  and  it  was  with  a  hor- 
rible dread  of  what  might  have  taken  place  that 
he  drew  near.  When  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
Avon,  he  saw  a  boat  shove  off  from  alongside, 
that  a  single  look  at  his  glass  convinced  him  con- 
tained none  of  the  brig's  crew.  Satisfied  that  they 
were  part  of  the  schooner's  piratical  crew,  he  sent 
all  his  men  forward  armed  with  muskets,  with 
orders  to  give  them  a  volley  as  soon  as  they  came 
near  enough  to  be  sure  of  their  mark.  This  was 
done,  and  the  next  moment  the  boat  was  sunk  by 
the  ship  passing  over  her,  and  not  one  of  the 
blood-stained  wretches  escaped.  The  Hyperion 
then  shortened  sail,  and  hove  to. 

To  return  to  the  Avon's  cabin.  When  Long- 
ford saw  a  lovely  young  woman  lying  insensible 
before  him,  when  he  expected  no  such  person's 
existence  on  board,  his  better  feelings  prevailed — 
he  thought  of  his  mother,  his  sisters,  his  home,  and 
the  bright  prospects  he  had  forever  darkened  by 
his  own  folly  and  vice,  and  he  leaned  against  the 
bulk-head  in  bitter  agony.  He  neither  heard  nor 
heeded  the  repeated  calls  of  one  of  his  comrades, 
announcing  the  rapid  approach  of  the  Hyperion, 


384  THE     PIRATE 

his  thoughts  were  in  a  complete  whirl,  nor  was  he 
roused  from  his  gloomy  reflections  but  by  the 
voices  of  Allerton  and  his  boat's  crew,  as  they 
came  alongside.  Then  he  started  and  ran  up  the 
companion-way,  but  escape  was  impossible.  He 
drew  a  pistol  from  his  belt ;  but  before  he  could 
even  put  himself  in  an  attitude  of  defence,  he  was 
cloven  to  the  teeth  by  a  blow  of  Allerton's  cutlass. 

Without  stopping  to  see  if  there  was  more  of  them, 
George  ran  instantly  below,  and  found  his  Julia 
still  insensible,  and  Miss  Hastings  kicking  her  heels 
and  screaming,  after  the  most  approved  recipe  for 
performing  hysterics.  Allerton  sprinkled  the  young 
lady's  face  with  water  and  vinegar,  and  ransacked 
the  medicine-chest  for  hartshorn  and  ether,  but 
without  success,  till  at  length  he  thought  of  bleed- 
ing, at  which  he  was  sufficiently  expert  when  his 
patients  had  been  sailors.  The  snow-white,  round 
arm  was  instantly  bared  and  bandaged ;  the  vein 
rose,  and  was  pierced  by  the  lancet  with  as  much 
skill  as  Sangrado  himself  could  have  displayed ; 
but  the  operator,  although  he  knew  how  much 
blood  a  tough  seaman  could  afford  to  lose,  was 
completely  at  a  loss  when  his  patient  was  a  deli- 
cate young  lady ;  and,  having,  to  his  joy,  witnessed 
the  success  of  his  phlebotomy  in  restoring  her  to 
life  and  consciousness,  slacked  the  bandage  and 
stopped  the  bleeding. 

For  a  few  minutes  Julia's  senses  seemed  com- 
pletely bewildered  ;  she  stared  wildly  around,  and 
uttered  the  most  incoherent  ravings ;  when  George, 


OFMASAFUERO.  585 

who  seemed  to  retain  his  presence  of  mind  most 
wonderfully,  wisely  reflecting  that  human  nature 
was  about  the  same,  whether  in  breeches  or 
petticoats,  poured  out  a  glass  of  wine,  and  com- 
pelled his  patient  to  swallow  a  large  share  of  it. 
The  wine  produced  the  most  happy  effects.  In  a 
few  minutes  she  looked  up  in  his  face  with  an  in- 
telligent glance,  and  in  a  soft  voice  murmured  his 
name. 

In  the  mean  time  it  would  be  unpardonable  in 
us  to  leave  Miss  Dorothea  Hastings  any  longer. 
Allerton  had  been  followed  into  the  cabin  by  seve- 
ral of  his  men,  one  of  whom,  compassionating  the 
situation  of  the  young  woman,  who  was,  in  truth, 
a  plump,  rosy-cheeked  lass,  and  having  seen  cold 
water  thrown  into  the  faces  of  people  in  fits, 
caught  up  a  gallon  pitcher  filled  with  the  element, 
and  dashed  it  into  her  countenance.  The  remedy 
effectually  restored  her  to  consciousness  and  her- 
self, by  rousing  her  indignation  against  the  perpe- 
trator of  such  an  ungallant  action. 

.  A  German  theorist  of  the  present  age  has  much 
such  a  way  of  curing  all  human  diseases ;  that  is, 
he  drives  one  disorder  out  of  the  system  by  intro- 
ducing another  more  powerful — in  some  cases 
similar,  in  others  directly  opposite  ;  as  for  instance, 
he  attacks  pulmonary  consumption  with  insanity, 
gout  with  the  "  seven-years-itch,"  small-pox  with 
its  partial  namesake,  pleurisy  with  inflamma- 
tory rheumatism,  &c.,  and  so  vice  versa  in  all 
oases  ;  no  doubt  the  theory  is  a  good  one,  and  so 


386  THEPIRATE 

was  that  which  proposed  to  keep  a  horse  upon 
nothing. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  Julia  declared  herself 
sufficiently  restored  to  accompany  George  to  his 
own  ship,  whither  she  was  accordingly  removed, 
and  a  cabin  fitted  up  for  her  accommodation. 

In  the  process  of  burying  the  murdered  crew  of 
the  Avon,  four  of  her  men  were  found  alive,  se- 
verely but  not  dangerously  wounded  ;  and  a  fifth, 
who  had  lowered  himself  over  the  bows,  and 
clung  to  the  bob-stays.  Six  of  the  pirates  were 
also  found  dead  on  her  decks,  their  brains  dashed 
out  by  the  handspikes  with  which  the  seamen  had 
defended  themselves  till  shot  down  in  detail. 

By  the  time  all  necessary  arrangements  and 
changes  had  been  made,  it  was  dark;  and  the 
Avon,  with  the  second  officer  and  six  men  from 
the  Hyperion,  jogged  along  in  the  wake  of  that 
ship,  which  carried  a  lantern  at  her  gaff-end  for 
her  direction.  Miss  Dorothy,  being  comfortably 
established  in  the  Hyperion's  cabin,  complained  of 
"  feeling  bad  somehow."  Her  mistress  had  turned 
in  long  before,  and  was  sound  asleep  under  the 
influence  of  a  composing  medicine,  prescribed  by 
her  physician  and  lover.  Perhaps  Miss  Hastings 
thought  the  same  medicine  might  do  her  good ; 
perhaps  she  meant  the  complaint  as  a  hint  to  Mr. 
Brail,  the  mate,  to  have  pity  upon  her.  The  sea- 
man took  the  hint,  real  or  imaginary,  and  declared 
he  could  compound  a  draught  as  composing  as 
any  prescribed  in  the  "  book  of  directions,"  and 


OPMASAFUERO.  397 

accordingly  mixed  a  tumbler  of  hot  grog,  well 
sweetened  with  loaf-sugar ;  but  he  forgot  he  was 
not  mixing  for  himself,  and  put  in  the  same  quan- 
tity of  pure  Antigua  as  though  the  "  charge  "  was 
intended  for  his  own  throat  and  brain  of  proof. 
Miss  Dolly  drank  the  potent  mixture,  which 
effectually  dispelled  the  remains  of  her  hysterical 
squall ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  after  retiring  to  her 
berth,  she  was  fast  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus,  if 
Morpheus  ever  goes  to  sea. 

Our  story  must  now  gallop  a  little.  Mr.  Effing- 
ham  was  delighted  with  George's  gallant  conduct, 
though  he  was  too  late  to  save  poor  Burton  and 
his  men  ;  the  cargoes  of  both  vessels  were  sold, 
and  the  old  gentleman,  with  his  daughter,  re- 
turned to  England  with  Allerton.  Shortly  after 
their  arrival,  the  hall  of  Effingham  House  wit- 
nessed the  performance  of  that  ceremony,  which, 
in  the  English  prayer-books,  "  begins  with  '  dearly 
beloved,'  and  ends  with  '  amazement ;' "  but  "  the 
bishops,  priests,  and  deacons,  and  all  other  clergy," 
who  were  engaged  in  altering  and  adapting  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  to  the  Episcopal  church 
in  this  country,  finding  nothing  very  amazing  in 
matrimony,  have  omitted  the  short  sermon  that 
usually  closed  its  performance,  and  the  form,  like 
most  religious  forms,  now  ends  modestly  with  a 
simple  Amen. 

In  three  days  after  the  murder  on  board  the 
Avon,  the  schooner  was  driven  ashore  upon  Mas- 
afuero  in  a  "  norther,"  a  violent  gale  so  called  in 


388  THE     PIRATE,     ETC. 

that  sea,  from  its  uniformly  blowing  from  the 
northward ;  and  of  the  eight  on  board,  seven  pe- 
rished. The  wretched  survivor,  after  suffering 
every  thing  but  death  from  starvation,  escaped  in 
a  whaler  to  the  main,  was  recognised,  identified 
as  one  of  Benavidas'  gang,  and  shot  before  he  had 
been  on  shore  two  hours. 


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